


Project Iron Family

by Highlandcatt



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, Avengers Tower, Domestic Avengers, Pre-Avengers (2012)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-06-13 04:21:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15356130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Highlandcatt/pseuds/Highlandcatt
Summary: Y/n had been kept secret from the world, that is until S.H.I.E.L.D. decided a certain Stark needed a bit more than a certain spy to become a bit more down to earth. ((This is based on the Marvel Movies, it starts in Iron Man 2 and will continue where you lovely readers wish for it to go. Whilst chapter updates are slow, I will try my best to update as much as possible.))





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Y/n will age along with the movies. As Iron Man 2 (which is where the story begins) was set in 2010, Y/n will be 8/9 for the first few chapters. By the time Infinity War comes around, Y/n will be 16/17.

“I am Iron Man.”

Those four words became the statement of the century. Iron Man, or Anthony Edward “Tony” Stark, was now the peacekeeper of both America and the world. That at least, was what the public saw. Behind the limelight was a small niche of individuals that Tony considered friends and allies. They were the ones keeping the secrets, ironing the risks outs, and making sure some sanity remained. At the very least that was what they attempted to do, Tony being Tony wasn’t exactly a tamed dog on a leash.

The Expo alone could prove that fact. As the loud music boomed and screams of adoring fans echoed through Flushing, the world watched as he soared into the view. Twisting and turning as fireworks exploded around him. Each one creating patterns of light throughout the night sky. Swan Diving down to the stage, he met with semi-naked girls dancing sexily to the amplified music from the speakers. He raised his armoured arms to show what power he possessed in the futuristic suit.

As the metal arms de-suited the man, (Y/n) watched as the crowd cheers increased as they saw his face. An intoxicated smirk graced his lips as he soaked in the glory. He really was living the dream; Surrounded by beautiful women whenever he pleased, loved by all, enough fortune to last generations to come. The American dream in an American dream one might say.

That being said, this was the televised version of the event. A filter was likely put on for the sake of the elderly and naive, or in this case the young “agent” (Y/n). Due to their age and abilities, Fury forbid them from attending much to their disliking. Then again, they were on lockdown. So even if (Y/n) wanted to attend, they’d have to get past a bunch of well-trained, world-class agents. …Which in theory they could, however, it wasn’t worth the definite lecture they would be given.

As the crowds began to quieten down, Stark began to speak. An aura of egotism and drunkenness plagued the man like a business of flies to a bin. ‘Typical dumb adult’ they thought as they watched him gloat and express his ‘greatness’ through subtly stating his achievements. Whilst his words said “we did this”, his body language screamed, “PRAISE ME!”. It fascinated (Y/n), they seemed to be mesmerized by the man behind the metal mask. So much so that they didn’t notice two hands slowly making their way up to their armpits.

“Boo!”

“AH! SPIDER!”

Childish giggles filled the room as Natasha tickled them with no remorse. Giggles turned to laughter as they were pulled up from their seat and onto Nat’s hips. Squirming and tickling back in hopes to get a chuckle in return. Too focused on getting the agent to laugh, (Y/n) failed to notice the TV being turned off. It was not until they were hanging upside down, clinging to Nat’s neck with their legs. That they noticed the black, silent screen that they finally perked up.

“Aw~ Nat I was watching!”  
“Aw~ ….You’re too young. Besides, it’s way past your bedtime, ya little punk!”

“But Natty!”

“No ‘but’s’ cheeky. I’m heading out tomorrow so you’re going to bed now.”

Pouting, (Y/n) complied. They hated when Nat had to go away on missions, who was going to sneak them cookies?! What made it worse was that it meant Fury was going to keep a personal eye on them. How were they going to do anything even remotely fun?!

Shifting their body into a more comfortable position, (Y/n) clung onto the agent as she made her way to their bedroom. With each ‘click’ of the woman’s heels, (Y/n)’s eyes slowly began to feel heavier and heavier. Sure, they had been full of energy but a few moments ago, but the gentle sound of heels and energetic day coming to a halt seemed to dissolve any adrenaline left in their body.

As a hand carefully ran threw (Y/n)’s hair, darkness had taken over.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“-for now, that is the plan. Any questions?”  
“Are we sure that having (Y/n) and Stark together isn’t going to backfire, sir?”

“(Y/n)’s a smart kid. They’ll be able to handle him”

“But will he be able to-”

“If we get a code feral we’ll step in. Other than that he can figure it out.”

One would think bringing a child into a top-secret S.H.I.E.L.D. meeting was a bad idea. Yet there they were, doodling on some important paperwork, surrounded by top agents and workers alike. Fury wanted to have them present so that he didn’t have to repeat anything, also so that he could keep his eye on them. Last time they were left unsupervised, well, code feral was created.

It was well known at this point that (Y/n) wasn’t paying too much attention to the meeting. Why would they? To a young mind, what fun is to be found in monotone talking and pictureless powerpoints? Fury knew this, and every so often admired the pencil-based people residing on the word-lined paper. One of which, had a rather striking resemblance to the meetings main focus.

After the incident on the racetrack…and his birthday…and his friend Rhodey taking one of his priced suits. The agency decided that more action needed to be taken to both help and control the billionaire. From Natasha’s findings alone, they knew of the palladium poisoning in his heart and the companies inside troubles. If they didn’t act soon Stark would be drowning in problems and the circumstances of his actions and what good would he be then?

Questions and queries came and went and soon the meeting was over. As agents left the meeting room, Fury asked for Coulson and (Y/n) to stay behind for a more detailed debriefing. Seeing as they were apart of the mission, it only seemed fit.

As the final agent left the room, Fury opened a thin paper file. In it, several pictures of Tony Stark along with a detailed description of his personality and achievements. Pointing at a more recent photo, (Y/n) noticed a techy vein-like pattern peeking out from the white collar of his shirt. Both men noticed the knitted brows and tilted head and silently smiled at the confusion shown.

“It’s his heart that’s doing that to him. Agent Romanoff is there to keep an eye on him until we’re ready to introduce the two of you.”

“His heart’s that glowy thing, right?”

“Correct. During his time in Afghanistan, he created an Arc reactor capable of replacing his heart. He-”

“OH! That’s why he said the suit was apart of him, he’s a robot!”

“…”

“…sure sweetheart, sure.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sitting in the car, (Y/n) watched as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. storm out of the car and to greet the donut eating stark. Flinching as they heard the familiar, yet powerful yell.

“SIR. I’m gonna have to ask you to exit the doughnut.

Noticing the eye-patch wearer, the suited man tilted down his sunglasses. Furrowing his brows as he realizes who was beckoning him. As Fury looked back at (Y/n), he tilted his head ever so slightly. Indicating to them it was time. Grabbing their hoodie, (Y/n) opened the door and made their way to the shops back entrance. Their instructions were to remain hidden until signalled. Natasha would remain with them until that time.

As murmurs from the shop’s diner continued, (Y/n) sat idly on shops kitchen countertop. Whilst Natasha was in full gear, they were in citizens clothing. It was to lessen any intimidation they may give off the Stark. The last thing needed was another failure.

Getting the green light, Natasha opened the door for the two them.

Showtime.


	2. Meeting with a side of morning donuts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fury decides it's time to put Project: Iron Family into action. Despite the current state of Stark, he believes it's now or never to put his master plan into action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the "Offical" first chapter. I hope you all enjoy! I'm open to any and all criticism. Also, I try to read all the comments and notes I get. So if you ever have a future chapter idea or suggestion, give a shout! This is your story, I merely write it.

“Sir. Are you sure this is a good idea? We haven’t even discussed with either of them.”

“Trust me, Romanoff. This will be good for the both of them.”

“But sir-”

“Trust me. I give it a month before they’re thicker than thieves.”

“…Understood. Project Iron Family will commence shortly.”

With that, the conversation was over. It was times like this Fury wish he had hair so he could rip it out in frustration. It seemed as if everyone and their mother didn’t like this plan, yet it was the only plan that benefited all parties involved.

Project Iron Family: The stabilization of ‘Iron Man’ also known as Tony Stark. Due to several outbursts and a known problem with palladium poisoning, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s director Fury had taken it upon himself to find a “rock” capable of balancing out Stark’s actions. Several candidates were considered however none were completely compatible. That was until (Y/n) turned up.

Although their history is unknown for the most part, their abilities certainly aren’t. Ever since they fell under Fury’s radar they’ve become an ace up his sleeve, a key player in any important mission. Much of the higher class agents love the kid, especially the ones with children of their own. It wasn’t often they got to be around their families, so (Y/n) was the next best thing in their eyes.

That would change very soon though. Project Iron Family was going to be the turning point of Tony’s life.

Rubbing a hand over his face, Fury gathered his thoughts. In just a few hours he would be travelling to wherever tony may be and handing the kid over to him. Risky? Yes. Probably the worst idea he’s ever had? Definitely. Was this the best thing for kid and Stark? He hated to admit it, but…yes. If all goes to plan, this may lead to one of the most powerful groups ever known to the earth.

“Agent Hill. Do me a favour and get (Y/n) up and ready. We’ll be leaving in an hour.”

“Yes, sir.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“We’ve secured the perimeter, but I don’t think we should hold it for too much longer.”

Trailing behind Natasha, (Y/n)’s heart began to race. After weeks upon weeks of learning, training, and planning, they were finally going to meet the man behind the Iron Mask. From what they’ve seen and heard so far, they knew he wasn’t in the best of states.

Dropping his cup in shock, Stark realized who Natasha was. Tilting his head down the way he examined the agent. He probably didn’t expect Pepper’s assistant to be a leather wearing badass, but then again, not many can see a wolf in sheep’s clothing that easily. Knitting his brows, he conveyed his reaction to her. An audible “huh.” was added on to vocalize his confusion.

“…Double huh.”

Finally noticing (Y/n), his mind scattered more. It was one thing to find out ‘Natalie’ was actually Natasha undercover, but what’s a kid doing with here? He couldn’t tell if it was his hungover state or a loopy dream he resided in, however, none of this linked or clicked in his mind. Questions and theories swirled in his head, causing the mild migraine to strengthen into a storm of pain.

“You’re…fired.”

“That’s not up to you.”

Dropping a thin cardboard file onto the table, Natasha sat down next to her boss. Feeling slightly intimidated by the armoured man, (Y/n) stood awkwardly. Scooting slightly towards the two adults she knew and trusted. Natasha noticed this and leaned in closer to Fury, allowing (Y/n) to sit down also. Fury wrapped a platonic arm around the agent, confirming both the realness and the link between the three of them.

“Tony, I want you to meet agent Romanoff and (Y/n).”

“Hi.”

“I’m a S.H.I.E.L.D. shadow. Once we knew you were ill, I was tasked to you by Director Fury.”

“I suggest you apologise.”

Words seemed to flash back and forth between the three of them, (Y/n) barely had a chance of creating an audible sound before one of them piped in. Not as if they were able to give any valuable information, however, all they would have said was a short and sweet ‘hello’ or a trivia fact they new. A short silence fell onto the dinner before Fury decided to further the conversation.

“You’ve been very busy. You made your girl your CEO, you’re giving away all of your stuff. You let your friend fly away with your suit. Now, if I didn’t know better-”

“You don’t know better. I didn’t give it to him. He took it.”

Muffled giggles abruptly disturbed the Stark. Poor (Y/n) just couldn’t hold back. How could this genius let his best friend steal one of his most prized possession?! Natasha, noticing the giggles, hushed them in a delicate manner. Hoping that this almost light mocking wouldn’t become a strain on the plan. Fury raised his hand in a stopping motion, indicating his ‘disbelieve’ that such a thing had happened during Stark’s party. Of course, something like this was inevitable.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Nah, he took it? You’re Iron Man and he just took it? The little brother walked in there, kicked your ass and took your suit?… Is that possible?”

“Well, according to Mr Stark’s database security guidelines, there are redundancies to prevent unauthorised usage.”

Whilst Natasha stared at him directly, Fury bounced between the two. Raising both arms to show he’s ready for a response. (Y/n) watched as Tony remained silent in thought. Leaning in closer to Nat as he stared the three of them down. ‘He’s probably gone through a lot’ they thought as he turned his head. Quickly making eye-contact with Fury before he began questioning the sudden meetup.

“What do you want from me”

“What do we want from you? Nah uh huh- what do YOU want from ME?-”

Tapping them gently, Nat indicated to (Y/n) it was time. Standing up and walking to a booth four away from where Fury was tearing the Stark to shreds, pointing at him and raising his voice to express how much of a pain he had become. Picking up the metal tube, (Y/n) walked back to them, pointing the needle away from them as they approached the squabbling adults. Once there, they lined the needle up to the unusual lines wrapping themselves around Tony’s neck.

“-Hit him.”

Pressing the button, the liquid oozed into his body. Leaning back and yelping a slight drowsiness came from the concussion.

“Oh, God, are you gonna steal my kidney and sell it?… Who gave this kid a needle? Could you please not do anything awful for five seconds?”

“Sorry…”

Placing a hand on his right cheek, (Y/n) watched as the purple crossword like veins dissolved from his neck. Tony seemed unaware that such a thing was taking place, and furthermore was still questioning why this kid thought stabbing an off-branded sonic screwdriver into his neck would do any good. Taking a seat next to him, Natasha mouth to them ‘good job’ before opening up the paper file.

“What did they just do to me?”

“What did we just do for you? That’s lithium dioxide. It’s gonna take the edge off. We’re trying to get you back to work.”

“Give me a couple of boxes of that. I’ll be right as rain.”

“It’s not a cure, it just abates the symptoms.”

“Like morphine, but more sciency.”

Surveying his neck, Fury silently huffed to himself. This was a lot worse than first thought. It was going to take a lot more than a couple painkillers and nap to walk this one off.

“Doesn’t look like it’s gonna be an easy fix.”

“Trust me, I know. I’m good at this stuff. I’ve been looking for a suitable replacement for palladium. I’ve tried every combination, every permutation of every known element.”

“Well, I’m here to tell you, you haven’t tried them all.”

~~~~~

Carefully avoiding the shattered glass, (Y/n)’s eyes glistened as they walked around the luxurious home of Tony Stark. Sure, every window and several walls were smashed, but it was still nicer than any home they’ve ever been in before. Each and every crook and cranny seemed to be flawless, hell, even the shattered glass pieces seemed like perfect shards of clear quartz. All of this, complemented by the salty breeze and ocean view. Fury did say this guy was rich, and with an inflated ego a house to show it only made sense.

Dodeling over to Coulson, (Y/n) overheard the bickering between the two men in deck chairs. Thus far they knew two things: Tony didn’t like sitting in the middle seat, and hungover, he wasn’t exactly good at taking everything in. That aside, however, he was really smart, he even explained the physics behind his robot heart! Not that (Y/n) really understood it though, who could blame them though? Lengthy words and advanced equations weren’t exactly something an everyday kid would know.

“You okay (Y/n)?”

“Yeah…are we leaving soon?”

“…No…I think we’ll be here for awhile.”

“Oh.”

‘and I left my DS in the car too…’ They thought. As fun as it was to explore, it did have an interest limit. Watching as two agents brought in a metal briefcase, (Y/n) noticed a familiar suitcase leaning against where the front door should be. ‘huh, are we having a sleepover at Mr Starks?’ Before getting the chance of investing the mysterious moving suitcase, Fury asked them to come over to where the two men sat. Carefully tiptoeing over the shard, (Y/n) made their way over. Tripping over their own feet before being caught by the arm by… Tony?!… His reflexes were sharper than first thought. Pushing them back up, Tony smiled to himself. He wasn’t normally around kids, It was…nice.

“Geez, careful kid.”

“They’re fine. And as a matter of fact, I did. He was one of the founding members of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“What?”

As Tony sat up in shock, the suited men carrying the suitcase had set it directly in between the two men. They seemed to vanish as soon as their task was complete. Fury, noticing the time stood up from his chair. He had no more time for questions and games, he had an agency to run!

“I got a 2 o’clock.”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait. What’s this?”

“Okay, you’re good, right? You got this? Right? Right?”

“No, I’m not good. -Got what? I don’t even know what I’m supposed to get.”

Walking up to the fallen suitcase, Fury delivered it to (Y/n). Ignoring their confused look, and putting on his black leather jacket instead. He looked back at them to give one final hair ruffle before giving his final goodbyes and orders.

“Natasha will remain a floater at Stark with her cover intact. You remember Agent Coulson, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh. And Tony, remember, I got my eye on you.”

Tilting his head down to make the point clear, Fury stared the man down. Satisfied that both the pun and point came across, he left. Just before he got to the bottom of the steps he got one final question.

“Wait. Are you gonna tell me why the kid’s here, or what?”

“You asked what you were supposed to get earlier. Well, congratulations. You’re now a dad.”

“Wha-wait. Now hold up.”

With that, Fury left. Not even allowing Tony to know anything else. Taking a few steps forward, he intended to follow Fury to know what he meant by that. Natasha saw this and had put a hand out to stop Tony following him.

“We’ve disabled all communications. No contact with the outside world. Good luck. (Y/n), you play nicely, alright?”

Nodding, (Y/n) waved to Natasha. Although they didn’t want her to leave, they knew it was important for her to do so. So with that, Natasha left. Leaving only a kid, a stark, and an agent that probably wasn’t getting paid enough. Tony, was still trying to comprehend what just happened. He was a father now? He just…got a kid? What? Seeing as only one other adult was left, he gazed over at him in disbelief. Shaking his head slightly and praying that this was all some joke. In an attempt to shake off what had just happened he set his mind back into work mode.

“Please. First thing, I need a little bodywork. I’ll put in a little time at the lab. If we could send one of your goon squad down to the Coffee Bean, Cross Creek, for a Starbucks run, or something like that, that’d be nice. Perhaps someone who is also capable of looking after a kid.”

“I’m not here for that. I’ve been authorised by Director Fury to use any means necessary to keep you on premises. If you attempt to leave or play any games, I will tase you and watch Supernanny while you drool into the carpet. Okay?”

“I think I got it, yeah.”

“Enjoy your evening’s entertainment.”

Following the path of Fury, Tony watched on as Coulson left him. Now only two remained in the home. Tony at this point had semi-accepted the fact that he couldn’t go anywhere any time soon. Grudgingly, Tony looked towards the only person left.

“So, snarky comment before leaving or are you just going to stand there?”

“I’m not allowed to leave, Fury said so.”

“Well, guess that makes two of us.”

Turning away from (Y/n), Tony looked over at the suitcase. As he read the painted-on name he realized the importance of the case. Slowly walking over and leaning down he examined it. Carefully running his thumb over the ‘H.STARK’ painted onto the middle of it. Tilting his head slightly, he noticed (Y/n) was watching his actions. They seemed to be conflicted between going over and furthering a conversation and keeping out of the way. It reminded him of his younger self and the way he acted around his own father.

“So, you’re a man that has everything and nothing.” …Ho Yinsen said that to Tony around two years ago now. He remembered what it was like in that cave: Hot, stuffy, uncomfortable. Even the air felt like it was trying to kill him. Yet, it was the was the first chapter in his life as ‘Iron Man’.

What would Yinsen think of him now? What would his father think of him now? Both men had left such an impact on his life and yet now they were both gone. His own dad barley raised him. He had always looked down upon his father for the lack of attention and parenting he actually did, so perhaps, this was the way he was going to rise from his old man’s shadow and become the better man.

Picking up the suitcase, he ushered (Y/n) over. Still crouching to remain a level height to their own. As they made there way over he made sure that they didn’t hurt themselves on any shards. Once in front of him, he examined their features, counting himself lucky to have such an adorable kid.

“Alright kid. How about we take this down to the lab and see what’s in it?”


	3. Pepper with a grain of Salt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony needs to get something with his office. Problem is, he's got a kid to watch and his office isn't his office anymore...How's he going to get out of this pickle?

“There’s a stool over there. You need me to pick that up?”

“No, I got it!”

Pushing the metallic chair over to the workbench, both (Y/n) and Tony slightly cringed at screeching sound it made as it scraped across the floor. As it got within arms reach, Tony quickly picked it up and spun it around so it faced the bench. Lifting the briefcase onto the bench, he twisted it around so the that latches faced him. Looking over to (Y/n) he gave a small nod, receiving a brief, yet determined one in return.

As curiosity took over, the latches were swiftly unfastened. Swinging the top open, several items were spotted. Each one was carefully put in and fit snugly into their metal home. The rolled up blueprint seemed to catch Tony’s eye. Picking it up he examined the owner and the plan’s name. seeing it was his father’s he promptly unravelled it, giving one side of it to (Y/n) so he could see all of what the white lined offered.

Folding it slightly, he handed it over to (Y/n). Moving onto the newspaper article and briefly scanning over it, chucking it aside as he found no use for it. He then picked up two metal tubs, one of which was slightly smaller than the other. Opening the smaller one, he found an old film. He predicted from such that the larger container would have the same. Throwing the lid into the ever growing pile of his fathers possession. He leaned back in his chair. Puffing his cheeks out he ran a hand through his hair.

“Wanna watch an old film?”

~~~

“Who’s the man with the cool moustache?”

“My dad. Watch it whilst I read this. We’re looking for clues or- I dunno just watch.”

Keeping it short, Tony tried to preoccupy (Y/n) whilst he flipped through his father’s old notes. Something, anything had to be in these. Although not the biggest fan of his father, he knew the guy was smart, and if Fury thought he had the answer then where’s the harm in looking?

A monotone voice and shuffling cells disturbed the silence of the room, (Y/n)’s eyes seemed to be glued on the figure. Although a blooper reel, everything the man said seemed to be charming, enticing, …Tony like. A clear resemblance and charm could be found when comparing the two, it was funny almost. Looking over to the man, they watched as he flipped through the pages of an old, yet well-preserved notebook. When his eyes darted over to their figure, they quickly turned their head and acted as if nothing had ever occurred. If they had looked back they would have seen a slight smile tugging at the edges of Tony’s mouth.

As a young boy in a striped shirt appeared from behind the modelling table, (Y/n) tugged at Tony’s arm. Taking his attention away from the book and onto the screen. He watched as his younger self got yelled at by his father in front of a filming crew. The memory of it happening still haunted him from time to time, especially the ‘talk’ after the crew went away.

Fiddling with his phone, his attention soon went back to the book. It wasn’t until he reached the blank pages that he finally gave up on looking for a written answer. Sipping on a glass of ice cold coke, he twirled it around his glass. Watching as the ice seemed to dance along with the moving liquid. He failed to notice at by this point in the film, his father seemed to be done. Blazer off and tied loosed he stared into the camera as if it were a person’s eyes.

“Tony? You’re too young to understand this right now, so I thought I would put it on film for you…I built this for you. And someday you’ll realise that it represents a whole lot more than just people’s inventions. It represents my life’s work. This is the key to the future. I’m limited by the technology of my time, but one day you’ll figure this out. And when you do….You will change the world. What is and always will be my greatest creation, is you.”

Swiftly turning his head, he looked at this younger version of his father. It was…out of character for him. He had never seen his father talk so softly or at any rate talk to him without a hidden anger. Watching as the man on the film seemed to ease up he almost felt a sense of guilt. All this time of hating his father, he never realized how much he had done for him. As the film cells finally stopped and the screen went white, something in Tony’s mind seemed to click. As he paused for a few moments, he completely forgot about the world around him.

Pushing away some papers, Tony stood up and raced upstairs to get dress. Whilst doing so, he realized he had left (Y/n) by themselves…in the lab…with dangerous equipment…and no one to watch them…shit.

“J.A.R.V.I.S. Watch (Y/n) and make sure they don’t break anything.”

“Of course, Sir. And shall I add (Y/n) to the lab access list?”

“…You know, yeah. Just keep them from hurting themselves.”

“Of course, sir.”

Now knowing that (Y/n) was being monitored and safe, Tony continued to get changed. Although he didn’t want to get too dressed up, he did want to look like effort was put into his appearance. Putting on a mix and match outfit, he straightened out a couple of creases here and there before chucking on a blazer. Quickly fixing his hair before heading back down to the lab. 

Entering the room, Tony’s mind began to turn. He couldn’t leave (Y/n) in the house alone, but he also knew it was going take a lot more than a stuffed toy to convince them to go with him. Noticing the cleared up papers, his eyes scanned the room looking for (Y/n). Following the faint sound of giggles and metal moving, he found them playing with Dum-E. He watched as they mumbled with the machine, acting as if it were human. It reminded him of himself in some ways, talking to machines like they were able to respond. Grabbing a set of keys, Tony walked over to the garage door. Jingling them slightly to draw (Y/n)’s attention towards him.

Taking their attention away from the metal hand, (Y/n) noticed the dressed up Tony walking towards an unfamiliar door. Wanting to follow, they stood up and took a hesitant step forward. Noticing this, Tony turned towards them and ushered them forward.

“C’mon kid. We’re going to my- …Pepper’s office.”

“Coulson said no going out though.”

“Well, then we won’t tell him then. Alright?”  
“Mmm…okay, one question though.”

“Shoot.”

“Who’s Pepper?”

~~~~

This was something (Y/n) never got to experience. Granted, they were completely ignoring what Fury told them NOT to do. But this still counted as keeping an eye on Tony, right? Right!

Sitting in the white topless car, (Y/n) could practically taste the freedom of the cliffside road. The roaring wind dancing through their hair, the salty taste of the sea lingering on their tongue, and the smell of seaweed engulfing their nose. (Y/n) had never felt so…alive. Being on lockdown or under the watchful eye of the agents, they never really got the chance to experience the world. Yet here, here with their ‘father’, they felt so much more than they ever thought possible. They felt liberated and free.

Peering over, Tony saw the excitement on (Y/n)’s face. It made him feel something…huh, odd. A tight yet warm feeling in his chest that seemed to be mix with a bubbling in his stomach… Is this what…Parental joy felt like? It was either that or a heart attack, and with a heart like his own, option one seems more likely, despite what (or lack thereof) emotions Tony commonly felt. Whatever it was, it brought his mood up, gave him that extra bit of confidence he needed in a time such as this.

Noticing a man selling food in a parking place, he pulled off the road. Dragging the car down the dusty road and tapping the breaks as he got to the small stall. (Y/n) smiled at the man that now stood before them, he smiled back knowing he was about to get some business.

“Uh six dollars, six.”

“I don’t have any dough.”

Pushing his sleeve up, he unlatched his expensive watch and attempted to hand it over to the seller. Shocked, the man lightly attempted to push the watch away, but eventually took it as it would mean a good sum of money would be in his pocket. He then grabbed a box of strawberries to give to Tony, he gestured to him to take it without noticing the scrunching of his nose.

“I don’t like people handing me things. If you just give it to the kid, yeah, that’d be great.”

“Are you Iron Man?”

“Sometimes.”

Without a second thought, Tony put his foot down and got back onto the road. Overtaking several tourist cars along the way. (Y/n), strawberries in hand, didn’t know what to expect. Pepper, according to what Tony had told them, was a really smart and pretty woman that ran his company whilst he did hero stuff. That alone showed a trusting bond between Tony and herself. However, that was not important now; all (Y/n) could do now is sit and wait in anticipation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Following the reception lady only caused a pit to form in (Y/n)’s stomach. It felt as if they were going to fight the final boss in a video game, or meet a god with heavenly superpowers. Neither of which, they have done. If it wasn’t for Tony being nearby, they would have been shaking by now. What made it all worse was the confined space of the elevator that they stood it, no escape and no going back now.

As the doors to the top floor opened, the tension really set in. The clicks from the woman’s shoes were all that could be heard as they drew closer to the plain, but large office door. It wasn’t until now that Tony noticed the slight panic on (Y/n)’s face, and in an attempt of comfort he put a firm hand on their shoulder. It wasn’t much but it was something at least.

“Miss Potts? Mr Stark is here. He refuses-”

“I don’t. It’s fine.”

Barging into the office, Tony left no time for the Lady to introduce or announce his arrival. He left even less time for her to introduce the kid holding a box of strawberries either. She quickly leaving the three alone.

Shuffling behind Tony, (Y/n) watched as Pepper deflated what the news anchor was saying about her on the TV. It was confusing to (Y/n), how was she talking to the anchor? It wasn’t until she addressed the person on the phone directly that they figured out she was talking to someone else. Tony began to go through boxes at the back of the room to distract himself, moving cloth and books to see if he could find anything interesting. When he removed the cloth from the large rectangular block that (Y/n) piped up.

“That’s the map in that film!” Their voice was quiet, not too disturbed Pepper from her important call.

“Yeah, why are you whispering?”

“I don’t want to annoy miss Pepper.”

“Will Tony Stark be there?”

“Will I?”

“No, he will not. Bye.”

“I would like to be. Got a minute”

“No.”

Grabbing a chair and sitting down in front of her, Tony tried to talk to Pepper. However, she made that task rather difficult for the billionaire. (Y/n), now awkwardly being the only one standing, watched as the two adults bickered like an old married couple before them. 

“You’ve got 30 seconds.”

“I was just driving over here, and I thought I was coming to basically apologise, but I’m not.”

“You didn’t come over here to apologise?”

“Look, that goes without saying, and I’m working on that.”

At this point (Y/n) mouthed to Pepper ‘no he’s not’ hoping that it would amuse her, which it did to some extent. She could not show it however, she needed to be mad at Tony so that he’d apologise properly.

“But I haven’t been entirely upfront with you”

“I can see that.”

“And I just want to try to make good- Can I move this? This is Crazy. It’s like a Ferris wheel going. I’m trying to get some..”

“No.”

Moving away from the turning metal Tony whirled his chair into the direction of Pepper’s focus. He needs to talk to her and she was making it very difficult. (Y/n) remained behind the chair, they didn’t want to get involved.

“Do you know how short life is? And if I never got to express…And by the way, this is somewhat revelatory to me. And I don’t care…I mean, I care. It would be nice. I’m not expecting you to… Look, here’s what I’m trying to say. I’m gonna say it.”

“Let me stop you right here, Okay? Because if you say ‘I’ one more time, actually hurl something at your head I think. I am trying to run a company. Do you have any idea what that entails? People are relying on you to be Iron Man and you’ve disappeared, and I’m doing is putting out your fires and taking the heat for it… I am trying to do the job that you were meant to do. And for god sake, please don’t tell me you did what I think you did.”

Indicating over to (Y/n), Pepper really didn’t want to believe what she saw. Not even 24 hours have gone by and Tony’s already done something far too extreme for her stress levels. Playing with his fingers, he put his head down and conjured any words that would come to his mind.

“I-um…This, this is my um… This is (Y/n) and I may have adopted them?”

“You may have? Tony, we’ve talked about this…”

“I know. But, I… Okay look. I know I’ve messed up.”

“Yes. Yes you really, really have.”

“But, I’ve wanted a kid so I…The paperwork is done and (Y/n)’s a really good kid.”

“Tony…”

(Y/n) at this point felt like they needed to calm the situation, considering neither adults were getting anywhere. Walking over to Pepper, strawberries in hand, they manoeuvred themselves around the desk and placed them in front of her with a light ‘thud’. Pepper looked down at the strawberries, then at (Y/n), and finally at Tony. From the look on his face (Y/n) could tell that the apologetic gesture did not go down well.

“Did you bring me strawberries? …Did you know that there’s only one thing on Earth that I’m allergic to?”  
“Allergic to strawberries.”

“I-i’m sorry miss…”

 

A weighted silences fell on the room. Pepper was clearly infuriated by what Tony had done. Tony was unsure of what to say and do. Worst of all, (Y/n) thought they had upset Miss Potts which in turn upset them in turn. Tony couldn’t bear it, he hated silence and he hated seeing people that he liked upset. Gathering up what little hope he had for the situation, he spoke once more.

“This is progress, Pepper. I knew there was a correlation between you and this. I need you.”

“I need you to leave now.”

“That’s what I’m trying to…”

“Ms Potts? Wheels up in 25 minutes.”

“Thank you”

Turning around (Y/n) tried not to bounce with joy. Natasha in disguise came in and diffused all tensions within the room. If it were any other situation, (Y/n) would have run straight into Nat and hugged for as long as possible. However, she remained near Pepper, slightly scared to move and break something important. Another person walked in behind her, a man, the same one on the race track!

“Anything else, boss?”

“I’m good, Hap-”

“No, I’ll be just…another minute.”

“…I lost both the kids in the divorce. Heheheh!”

Everyone, including (Y/n) looked at Tony in disappointment. As charming as he may be, it wasn’t the time for joking around. As he scanned the room looking for at least one amused face, he realized that it didn’t get him anywhere. Playing one more card, he decided to pick on Natasha's now known identity. Although not the best idea, it would entertain him for a short period of time.

“Are you blending in well here, Natalie? Here at Stark Enterprises?… Your name is Natalie, isn’t it?”

If looks could kill he would have been more then dead right now. Any other agent in her shoes would have freaked out and perhaps even break cover for a moment. Natasha however, remained calm and ignored him. Praying that he wouldn’t give any other information or covers away.

“I thought you two didn’t get along.”

“No. That’s not so.”

“It’s just me you don’t care for. No? Nothing?”

“Actually, while you’re here, maybe you and Natalie could discuss the matter of personal belongings.”

“Absolutely.”

With that, Pepper left. Not letting Tony, or anyone keep her from her duties for any longer. Happy stood by until Pepper was out of the room. Carrying her heavier bags behind her. Once they left, Natasha broke character.

“I’m surprised you can keep your mouth shut.”  
“Boy, you’re good. You are mind-blowingly duplicitous. How do you do it? You just tear things…You’re a triple impostor. I’ve never seen anything like you. Is there anything real about you? Do you even speak Latin?”

“Fallaces sunt rerum species.”

“Which means? Wait. What? What did you just say? Kid, you know what she just said?”

“Yep-”

“It means you can either drive yourself home or I can have you collected. (Y/n) sweetie, make sure he gets home and doesn’t do anything stupid.”

Nat then left, storming behind Pepper and Happy, rather happy herself from getting away from the overstayed Stark. Slamming the door also to really empathise the point. Tony, now alone with (Y/n) in the office quickly tried stopping the moving metal thing that had been bugging him for the entire time. Putting tape and whatever else he could find to get it to stop. When it continued to spin he gave up and walked away from it, hoping that it wouldn’t drive him mad. Messily chucking the strawberries in the bin, he headed towards the door. (Y/n) knew it was time to go, but something felt off…

“Tony?”

“Yeah, kiddo?”

“Don’t you think the map is important? Your dad said it was…”

“…Yeah…Alright, grab a side. We’re taking this baby home.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To say putting it in the car was easy was a lie. A total of thirty-seven different methods were used and yet none of them worked without leaving (Y/n) behind. Which Tony refused to do. It wasn’t until a nice man with a car-trailer sold it to Tony for a few of his old office supplies, including the Ferris wheel much to Tony’s liking.

As the purr of the engine and the cackle of the car trailer behind filled the sound of the road. (Y/n) began to wonder about their relationship with Tony. Did he really mean what he told Pepper? Or was it just a mild cover up? Questions like that seemed to stir in their head and…they really just wanted to know.

“Tony?”

“(Y/n).”

“Did you mean what you said to Miss Pepper?”

“Pepper kiddo. Her name is Pepper Potts…And I suppose I did. You are technically… my adopted kid.”

“Oh…Does that mean I have to call you ‘dad’ or something?”

He cringed slightly at the idea. Not because he didn’t like the idea of being a father, however, it was the idea of being called ‘dad’. He had always called his own father ‘dad’ and the memory of that alone was unpleasant. Something else was needed, and quickly, but what? Adjusting his shades and glancing over to (Y/n) something came to mind.

“How about ‘papa’? “

“…mmm yeah, I like that. Might take some getting used to though, huh?”

“Most things do (Y/n), most things do.”


	4. A science project with pops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the map model at the lab, Howard Stark's elemental findings are about to be rediscovered. But how will our two heroes react when a familiar face makes a surprise appearance?

Back at home, Tony and (Y/n) shuffled down to the lab, model in hand. It was somewhat shocking how strong (Y/n) was for their age. Tony had suspected that they were under S.H.I.E.L.D.’s wing for a reason, he just had to figure out what it was though. Trying to match the weight (Y/n) took, Tony carefully placed the final model panel down onto the cleared workspace. Once down he shifted the panels around so that they were perfectly aligned.

Running a hand through his hair and huffing, he thought of something for (Y/n) to do whilst he figured out the model’s importance. Sure, two heads can do more than one, but when in thinking mode it’s best to leave him alone with his calculating mind. Looking over to (Y/n) something came to mind. Something that would let him know more about them whilst also working on the model.

“Okay! …Here’s the plan: We’re going to order some pizza, lactose-free but whatever toppings you want. Then we’re going to unpack your stuff into your room, and then I’m going to work on the model whilst you are gonna design what your room’s gonna look like.”

“But how am I going to design it if I’m sleeping in it already?”

“We’ll fix it up whilst I take you on holiday to Malaysia, now what’s on the pizza?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Much to the surprise of (Y/n), the pizza came in record time. The poor delivery boy nearly fainted when he saw Tony, much less the tip he received for his speedy delivery. It was…interesting. (Y/n) had never seen a delivery boy, or a takeaway, or…well, anything like this. For all their time at S.H.I.E.L.D., everything was provided, or someone would order someone else to get it. Seeing an interaction like this was…strange. Then again, telling the pizza dude to leave the box at the door isn’t exactly normal…or giving him a fifty dollar note for doing so…perhaps Tony doesn’t set the best example for “normal”.

As pizza, laughs, and old tales were shared. That question seemed to consume Tony’s mind. It just… didn’t make sense to him. Why would S.H.I.E.L.D. recruit a kid? Furthermore, if they were S.H.I.E.L.D. quality, what were they capable of? Anyone with half a brain could figure out that the kid was important, why though…well, Tony wanted- no. Needed to find out. Not now though, he needed a strong relationship before he asked.

Once the pizza was finished, the cluster of words seemed to finally leave Tony’s throat. As he picked up the greasy box and chucked it in the bin, he grabbed a key from a draw from the kitchen. He then went back to (Y/n) and told them to head upstairs, whilst minding any glass that slipped the clean up.

Following, (Y/n) could help but admire the house. Even though damaged, it still looked like something out of a dream or fairytale. They could even begin to imagine how much time and effort must have gone into it all.

“Okay so I’ll admit, I haven’t actually been in this room for a while now. But it’s nice, and you can fix it up however you want.”

Somewhat dramatically opening the door, Tony moved out of the way to let (Y/n) in. As they did so, their eyes glossed over in awe. The room itself was about the size of a normal high school classroom, yet felt comfy and welcoming. Large window panels gave the room a widespread view of the ocean which complements its current creamy colour. A queen size bed parallel the window. At least six pillows cupped the headboard and fluffy throw concealed the edge of the bed. Aside from the bed, a vanity, a wardrobe, and a desk dawned the room. Although it felt somewhat empty, Tony reassured (Y/n) they had complete control over the rooms later design. He even gave them some paper so they could map it out.

Seeing them settled in, a ghost smirk crept onto Tony’s lips. He knew he had to get going with the map but…he didn’t really want to leave them. Taking ahold of the metal doorknob, he grabbed their attention one final time before he made his way down to the lab.

“I know it’s not much, but I know at the very least you probably-”

Before he could finish a sudden force hit is stomach and wrapped itself around him, it took a moment before Tony realized ‘oh my god I’m being hugged’. Unsure of how to properly respond, a light pat on the head and a one-handed hug was returned. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was internally having a breakdown over how cute this was, he probably would have given a fully hug in return. Removing their head from his stomach, (Y/n) looked up and smiled at the billionaire.

“Thank you”

“…It’s alright kiddo. ‘Least I could do…I’m gonna head down to the lab now, If you need anything, yell for J.A.R.V.I.S. and he’ll help ya.”

“Alright!”

Unlatching one another, Tony gave one final look at (Y/n) before heading down to the lab. For some odd reason, now more than ever was he filled with determination and the need to accomplish his goal. He couldn’t explain it himself but he knew that he was going to fix his heart and it’ll be the best goddamn heart anyone could ever create.

~~~~~~~~~~~

(Y/n) was kinda enjoying the peace and quiet, for once in their time in America they didn’t feel like they were being observed that someone was going to enter unexpecting, no. a sense of…belonging came with designing their room and being with Tony. It was one of the greatest things they could ever ask for. Tony though, they would still be on cloud nine sleeping on the sofa in all honesty.

Doodling in a chair here, rug there, so on so forth, they had completely forgotten about why they were assigned to this mission. It wasn’t until a loud ‘smash’ and the sound of broken concrete hitting the floor that panic mode kicked in. From the sound of it, it came from the basement. So without a second thought, they ran down the flight of stairs, through the house and to the basement floor did they see the sight before them. Tony, hammer in hand, breaking down the sides of the lab. Worried and confused, they decided it would be best to just…stay out his way. At the same time, however, observer. It was all fine and well that he’s doing his thing, but (Y/n) would rather not have to go back to S.H.I.E.L.D. because he hurt himself.

After the lab wall, the floor was jackhammered into on the ground floor. Granted he did need to get to through the floor for his plan, however, (Y/n) didn’t exactly know that. Deciding it was time to cut the insanity, (Y/n) dodeled into Tony’s line of sight. Not exactly wanting to make him jump out of his skin when he was so focused. Standing still for a moment or two, they finally gained his attention when he stood up and went to grab a screwdriver.

“IYA! Phew- Sorry kiddo you startled me. What-um what are you doing down here? I thought you were doing your room.”

“I heard a loud noise and came to see if you’re okay.”

“Oh. Well then…How about you help me break the floor and run cables through the house?”

 

“…Okay?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Between feeding cables through holes, opening boxes of equipment, and putting parts together. The remained of the week seemed to fly by. Each night, (Y/n) experienced new and interesting Take-outs. Their entire time there felt like a blur, and it wasn’t until a recognizable face came down for a little visit.

As Coulson entered the lab, he could feel his hand rising to his face to facepalm. Tony completely unaware of the uninvited guest, was explaining the design of his latest invention to (Y/n), who appeared to be covered in dust and had smears of what Phil assumed to be oil. Deciding it was time to break up the talking, he piped in. Straight to the point as always.

“Heard you broke perimeter.”

“Uh yeah, that was like, three years ago, where’ve you been?”

“I thought we did that last Tuesday-”

“I was doing some stuff.”

“Yeah well. We did too, and it worked…Hey, I’m playing for the home team, Colson You and all your Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. Now, are you gonna let me work or break my balls?”

Not knowing how to respond, Coulson looked around for a quick topic change. Scanning through some open boxes something caught his eye. Picking it up with both hands, he scanned the item in confusion. Although not done, it was clear it was the iconic weapon.

“What’s this doing here?”

Turning around slowly Tony saw the item in hand. (Y/n), not exactly sure of the circular object was, watched as cogs of Tony’s began to turn.

“That’s it. (Y/n) bring it over here.”

Quickly going over and removing it from Coulson’s somewhat firm grip, (Y/n) placed it down in front of Tony. Coulson, who slowly paced towards them both couldn’t believe what he was seeing. That…That was Captain America’s shield. His idol, his icon….how the hell did Anthony Edward Stark get his hands on such a priceless object?

“You know what this is?”

 

“It’s exactly what I need to make this work. (Y/n) sweetheart, lift the tube we’re making this work.”

At this point, Coulson was beyond confused. Here were two people that S.H.I.E.L.D. had their eyes on, working together, side by side without any conflict. Two power entities creating something together. This is something the agency only dreamed of. Coulson could only imagine if more members were to join. Right now, however, he was more concerned of the wellbeing of his idols shield.

“Alright, drop it. Careful with your fingers…Perfectly level…We’re busy, what do you want?”

“Nothing. Goodbye. I’ve been reassigned. Director Fury wants me in New Mexico.”

“Fantastic. Land of enchantment.”

“Oh, because of the-”

“Exactly. However, it is still top secret so you need to pretend you know nothing…Goodbye.”

“Awe man…”

“Bye. Thanks.”

They both reached in to shake one another’s hand, whilst awkwardly, meaningful. With a couple of shakes they both lean in slightly, and with a quiet yet clear voice, Coulson left his final statement.

“We need you.”

“…Yeah, more than you know.”

“Not that much.”

Turning around, Coulson kneeled down on one knee to be level with (Y/n). He looked at them for a moment before sighing and opening his arms. (Y/n) jumped at the chance and practically pounced at Coulson. Wrapping their arms around his neck as he gave them a small pat on the back in return. Of course, this was done with a reason in mind. Whilst hugging, hushed whispered were done between the two.

“That meteor we found is not we thought. According to our scout, it’s a hammer. Keep this on the down low, we don’t need Mr.Stark taking a liking to the case.”

“Got it…is Nat leaving too?”

“No. Although you’re our inside, your also being watched remember? Clint’s on my team this assignment. Natasha will stay here.”

“Okay…Good luck Philly.”

Picking (Y/n) and handing them over to Stark over the invention, Coulson finally departed from the two. Tony, now holding (Y/n), watched as Coulson left the lab one last time. As the door shut he looked down at (Y/n) who was clinging to his arm for support. As he lowered himself and (Y/n) down, he felt that spark again. Clapping his hands together he zoned back into work mode.

“Okay J.A.R.V.I.S.! How about some AC DC to get this show on the road?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Placing safety goggles on, (Y/n) finally understood why Fury told them to watch themself around Tony. Here they both were. Standing in the lab. Invention complete. About to rediscover a new element…or blow up the house. According to J.A.R.V.I.S., there was around a 85% chance that this would all go according to plan, but as Tony Smuggly said “Yeah? Well, chance is only a holdback for people that don’t like to try new things.” Not exactly elegantly put but the point remained the same.

Now, (Y/n) stood in the ‘important: do not damage’ square Tony had made along with some Iron Man posters and his cars. As he booted up the machine. As the lights turned on and raced around their circular track.

“Initialising prismatic accelerator.” The second J.A.R.V.I.S announced it, Tony jogged over to the mirror box to rotate the mirrors. As he attempted to turn the handle, it was clear he wasn’t strong enough to turn in with his arms alone; and as the machine started to power up a plan b needed to be made and quick.

“Approaching maximum power.” Giving in, he quickly grabbed a handy wrench and tightened it to the turn wheel. Using it as a lever he pushed it so that the mirrors would turn. As he turned it, he somehow managed to set the lab on fire. Cutting through the walls, pillar, cabinet, shelves even the bookcase. To which an audible “Oops” was his response.

As he lined the beam up to the triangular mould a neon light oozed out from the lined carvings within it. The metallic hum that went along with it could be heard from the garden.

As the machine began to shake and the triangle grew brighter than a newborn star, Tony quickly turned off the machine. “That was easy. He mumbled as he came closer to his new heart. Picking it up with a pair of pliers he admired it as if it were a diamond. (Y/n), now predicting it was safe to step out of the square went over to the light to admire it also.

“Congratulations sir. You have created a new element.”

Placing it into the arc. They watched at the element settled with it. Clouds of blue swirled around only to settle into its new home. As the buzz indicating success sounded, even J.A.R.V.I.S. seemed to be filled with joy and pride at Tony.

“Sir, the reactor has accepted the modified core. I will begin running diagnostics.”

“You did it!”

“No…we did it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now my AO3 lovelies, you are caught up with my Tumblr readers! Whilst I will continue posting the story here, the chapters will be posted there first! So, if you want a private conversation, tag or just want quicker updates: marvelcatt is the place to go!


	5. Expose the expo [Iron Man 2 arc FINAL]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is an arc final! This means that the Avengers arc will be next. I’ll be taking some time to plot out the next arc so if you have any ideas or want anything to be included let me know! Honestly, this chapter took SO long to write but I really enjoyed it, so I hope you do too!!

If you were to ask Tony what he thought he’d be doing today five years ago, he’d probably say something along the lines of “Working on some kick-ass superweapon”. What was he doing now, however? Reading up on how to make a kick-ass pillow fort. Whilst still kick-ass, not something he saw in his future. In fact, if it wasn’t for the forever-lasting tests J.A.R.V.I.S. was running on his new heart, well, he would more than certainly have done something more...Tony by now.

That was beside the point. Right now (Y/n), Tony, and somehow Dum-E was halfway done in creating a pillow fort in the “safe corner” of the lab. The safe corner being a normally unoccupied workbench and one of the walls Tony hammered through. Currently, however, it was draped in blankets and stuffed with mix and match pillows. At the moment, basic. Too basic for the Starks. Which was the exact reason why Tony was reading up on epic pillow forts.

(Y/n) on the other hand, was doing probably the most important jobs in the house. Picking out which snacks they having today. It was a tough choice but it was one they had to make. It took about ten minutes of staring at the snack cabinet, but they finally gave up and grabbed a random bag and called it a day. After all, if they took too long Tony would come up and choose some boring breakfast bar or a dull bag of crisps.

As they made their way back down to the lab, they noticed the tense look on Tony’s face. Trying not to distract him, (Y/n) tried to slowly and quietly enter the lab. When Tony noticed them he gestured them to come over and quick.

“You sound pretty sprightly for a dead guy.”

“You too.”

Muting his speaker, Tony seemed to go into worry mode. Demanding J.A.R.V.I.S. to track the call whilst the man on the other end taunts him.

“What your father did to my family over 40 years, I will do to you in 40 minutes.”

“Sounds good. Let's get together and hash it out.”

Once J.A.R.V.I.S. confirmed his location, Tony prepared to hang up the phone, fly over there and kick the caller to the moon. However, the last few words said, almost in a whispered tone startled even (Y/n).

“I hope you’re ready, oh. And you might want to keep an eye on the child, they are your family too, Da?”

With that, the monotone beep of the phone echoed through the lab. (Y/n), who had never even known the caller before felt completely on edge. Nobody but S.H.I.E.L.D. and Tony’s group even knew of their existence, how did this Russian sounding man know? Looking over worryingly to Tony, a thick ball seemed to weave its way into their mouth. Not allowing them to form the words they wished to say.

“P-papa....w-who-”

“An old friend...J.A.R.V.I.S. You want to run some tests, run them. And assemble the suit while you’re at it. Put it together now.”

“We are unclear as to the effects-”

“I don’t want to hear it, J.A.R.V.I.S. Eugh! That tastes like coconut. And metal. Oh wow, yeah!”

A bright light soon appeared out of the reactor. And as the Iron Man suit of choice got prepared for flight mode, (Y/n) decided it was time to...well, show off their S.H.I.E.L.D. capabilities. Running to their room, they quickly pulled out their still somewhat packed suitcase. Unzipping it quickly and grabbing a good ol’ outfit that they got trained in. Nothing too special: Combat boots, flexible trousers with pockets, basic top with a jacket for both style and utility space. Last but not least though, a utility belt, with everything and more a young agent in training would need. Throwing it on (& tying their hair back if they have long hair.), they rushed down to the lab where a half suited Stark awaited them.

Machines twisted and turned around him, locking in the final parts into place. When he noticed (Y/n) he couldn’t help but wonder how they were going to fit into this fight. Unfortunately, he couldn’t leave them here. The risk of Ivan getting a goon or ally to snatch them whilst they fight is too high, and since Ivan knew, lord knows who else does. Not to mention, nobody Tony trusted was in California at the time, so it was almost as if fate itself was taking them there with him. As the final machine clipped the final piece in place, Tony chucked over a bodysuit to (Y/n). When they caught it, they couldn’t help but look back at Tony with a confused look plastered across their face. Tony, in turn, smirked, quite happy to show off one of his new inventions.

“What? If you’re going to ride piggyback whilst we fly to Queens you need to at least keep warm.”

“Wait. You’re flying to the Expo with me on your back? That doesn’t sound very safe....”

“It’s not, but that suit along with a helmet and some securing belts will keep you warm, prevent whiplash, and stop you falling off. We’ll be travelling two-thousand, eight-hundred and forty-one miles in a span of thirty minutes. Once we get there you find Pepper and stay with her. Papa’s going to beat up some bad guys...Catch all that?”

“Can I fight bad guys?”

“Absolutely not. Now suit up, we’ve got an expo to expose.”

“...This dad thing is really getting to you huh?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To say flying at around four thousand, eight hundred and seventy miles per hour piggyback style is scary is an understatement. It’s beyond terrifying. Hell, If it wasn’t for the calming music Tony intentionally put into the helmet for (Y/n); well…they would have at least screamed.

As they finally approached Queens, Tony lowered the music to explain his plan to (Y/n). He felt bad for putting them in this situation, but it was the best way to keep them in safe and trusted hands.

“Kiddo? You still doing okay?”

“Yeah! It’s still kinda scary though.”

“Everything is the first time, but you get used to it.”

“Are you used to it?”

“Let’s say that kiddo...The expo’s a few minutes away now, you ready for the plan?”

“Ready!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From where the two starks were, they could more than clearly hear the screams and cheers of the adoring attendance. (Y/n), despite the helmet could just make out the annoyed grumbles of their father as they prepared to steal the show. As a charismatic voice began boasting once more of ‘his’ machines, Tony boosted his suit into max speed. Ready to show the world Ironman was back.

“For America and its allies, Hammer Industries is reporting for…”

Before he could finish, they got into sight. (Y/n) had taken off the straps and now laid ready for the sudden stop. As they whooshed past the audience, they climbed up to Tony’s shoulders so he could level out for landing. Once straightened out and just above the stage, (Y/n) jumped off the suit. Somewhat awkwardly performing a basic backflip and finishing in a kneeling position with both hands planted to the floor. Stopping them from skidding back too far.

As Tony also landed, the crowd quickly switched sides. Standing up and screaming as their hero had arrived. Ignoring them all, he made his way up to his suited friend; quickly checking to see if (Y/n) was okay before getting down to business.

“We got trouble.”

“Tony, there are civilians present. I’m here on orders. Let’s not do this right now.”

“Give them a wave.”

Standing next to his friend, Tony waved to the crowd. (Y/n) who for the most part had been ignored by them, made their way out the public view. Connecting their helmets earpiece to Pepper’s phone they waited until a hushed voice answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Miss Pepper? It’s (Y/n), Tony’s kid? Could you and Nat come backstage please?”

“(Y/n)? Oh my god, look. We can’t just go backstage for no-”

Before she could finish her sentence, bullets rained towards the audience as Rhodey’s suit and the robots targeted Tony. Now instead of adoring screams, the crowd was in complete panic. Jumping over one another and pushing their way to safety. (Y/n) who was still on the platform ran over to Hammer and dragged him to a safer location. They didn’t have to, but every life counted. As they both dodged the droid Hammer moved more like a blob of jelly then a human. (Y/n) almost lost their grip on his blazer sleeve several times because of it. Once out of the droids sight they finally got a chance to talk to the girls.

“Miss Pepper? Nat? Hello?!”

“Hey kid, who the hell-”

“Sweetpea it’s me. We’ll be right there.”

Ending the call, (Y/n) finally removed the clunky helmet. Justin, who was both confused and in panic, couldn’t believe what was happening. Without thought he shoved (Y/n) out of his way, disregarding the fact that they saved him and making his way to the screens.

“What’s going on? What’s happening?”

“The software’s been overridden.”

“What? What do you mean it’s been overridden? What does that mean?”

“I think he slaved the drones.”

“That’s impossible. Call the guards.”

“All the phones are down sir.”

“Well, then call their… Call their cells.”

“Their cell phones are not working either sir.”

“He’s locked us out of the mainframe.”

Watching the men scramble around trying to fix the situation, (Y/n) looked at the computers. Compared to the coding Tony had done at home it looked simple and short. Sure, they didn’t understand it themself, but at least they knew how the Russian man was able to compromise all the electronics in the area. Just as they were about to pipe in, Pepper and Natasha walked in, clearly frustrated and fed up with the man in front of them. 

“Who’s locked you out of the mainframe?” Pepper, who clearly at this point had enough with men in suits both metal and not asked. All she wanted was maybe a week, hell even a day where she didn’t have to stress about someone doing something that caused something else to occur.

“Please, please, go away. Go away. I’ve got this handled.”

“Have you now?”

“Yes, I do. In fact, if your guy hadn’t showed up, this wouldn’t be happening. So, please, now go away. Thank you. Listen, we got to get these bitches out of here. What?”

Finally cracking, Natasha dropped the facade and pinned Justin down to the panel. Ignoring the surprised scream from Pepper she aggressively pushed his arms closer together, causing a painful grunt and struggling to take place. She leaned in closer to his ear to make sure he heard each and every question clearly.

“You tell me who’s behind this. Who’s behind this?”

“Ivan. Ivan Vanko.”

“Where is he?”

“At my facility.”

“(Y/n).”

“Got it. Bye Miss Pepper!”

Without another word, (Y/n) and Natasha left the scene. Despite the plan Tony had created, (Y/n) knew running away and hiding behind Pepper would do no good for the situation. So, like any good agent, they prepared for anything and everything. Making their way out of the building they took off the flight suit Tony had given them. They were pretty certain they could retrieve it after the mission, so they left it on an unoccupied seat near one of the less crowded exits.

Although being shoved by guests here and there, they quickly made it to Happy who was trying to contact someone for information. As he saw Natasha he quickly hung up and yelled to grab her attention.

“Nobody’s answering their phone. What’s going on?”

“Get in the car. Take us to Hammer Industries.”

“I’m not taking you anywhere.”

Walking past him, (Y/n) quickly took the keys from his pocket and made their way towards the car.

“It’s fine. I know how.”

An almost impossibly small smirk grew onto Nat’s face as she saw (Y/n)’s training at work. It felt like only yesterday that she taught them how to pickpocket unnoticed, and only a week ago how to drive gear stick cars. That was beside the point though. Right now they needed to stop a hacker from hurting good folk. 

“No. I’m driving get in the car...Keys?”

Huffing and handing over the keys, (Y/n) got into the back of the car with Natasha. Happy slammed into gear to get to Hammer’s warehouse as soon as humanly possible. Looking out the window and watching as the expo turned on its head, (Y/n) only hoped that everything would be fine on Tony’s end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“When we arrive, I need you to watch the perimeter. I’m gonna enter the facility and take down the target. Watch the road.”

“I got it. I got it.”

Unzipping her dress, Natasha quickly began to change into something better fitted for combat. Happy, on occasion slipped a glace as she changed. (Y/n) on the other hand, decided sitting up front would be best and began moving forward as Nat changed. Blocking the view of anyone who decided to look through the front window or mirror to peak a glance at the assassin.

In a brief few minutes, she somehow managed to change from a tight fitting dress into a somehow tighter fitting jumpsuit. Granted the jumpsuit was made for the express purpose of missions, however, it never really made sense to (Y/n), why she didn’t just wear leggings like she does during training? Feeling a piece of metal touch their arm, (Y/n) glanced back at Nat who was up and ready for combat. Grabbing the item they shot her a confused look.

“When we get out there’s going to be bad guys. Not agents pretending to be bad guys. Real bad guys. I don’t want to see you hold back at all, okay sweetie? If you don’t want to fight like you do normally, use the staff.”

“...Do I have to Unlife them?”

“No, just knock them down. If it gets too serious I’ll do the killing.”

“...I’m sorry how old is this kid?”

“I’m eight and a half!”

“...Boy, they really changed the education system huh.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Pulling up at the warehouse, a lump started to form in (Y/n)’s throat. They’ve never fought actual bad guys before, this was their first big mission. What panicked them most was that their dad didn’t even know about this. What if they get hurt and he gets mad? What if he gets hurt because they’re not there? Questions began to swirl their mind as they exited the car and made their way to the door. Natasha noticed this and gently put her arms around them for a moment. Happy, who had now left the car caused Nat to quickly stand back up. Ruining both the hug and Natasha’s mood. She really didn’t want another tag along, it would only make the mission longer then it should be. 

“Stay in the car.”

“I’m not staying in the car.”

“I said: Stay. in. the. Car.”

“What are you wearing? I’m not letting you and a kid go in there alone.”

“You want to help? Keep the car running.”

Unlocking the door, (Y/n) quickly ran ahead of the two adults. As a faint alarm caught their ears they listened out to see if they could find where the sound was coming from. Just as they were about to run towards it, a tall muscular looking man approached them. Grabbing their shoulder to stop them from moving.

“Hey, hey hey! You can’t come in here-”

Before either he or (Y/n) could react, Happy quickly punched the man square in the jaw. Knocking him back and loosening his grip on (Y/n). Instinctively, they ran towards the corridor the noise was coming from, Natasha right alongside them. As a second security guard came into view, Nat turned on her knee and threw the electrosunner discs at him. Stunning him into place. As another guard came into sight, (Y/n) lunged at the wall kicking it to gain momentum before landing a powerful mid-air roundhouse kick straight into his temple. Knocking him out cold. 

Natasha then took on the next guard. Sliding between his legs and gracefully before landing a friendly punch to his babymakers. As another man rounded the corner, (Y/n) used the staff to push themself upward to land a very devastating dropkick to his stomach. Winding him completely. Predicting that he had come from the direction of the sound (Y/n) turned the corner. Natasha seeing that the corridor she went down was clear, followed on behind (Y/n). Knocking both guards down once more to ensure nobody would follow them.

Seeing more guards heading in their direction Nat used hand signals to communicate with (Y/n).

‘I’ll take the right, you take the left. Knock out. They’re not worth killing.’

Throwing a smoke bomb, both men became blinded by the sudden gas making contact with their eyes. Natasha swooped down and quickly took down the right guard. Whilst (Y/n) jumped over theirs and knocked him out by striking a nerve from behind with the staff.

Three more guards came, so to take care of one Natasha took out a garrote and began strangling him. (Y/n) who was becoming more confident, used the staff to take down the guards by knocking them off their feet and hitting them both where the sun doesn’t shine and then their heads. When they thought they had got them they looked back at Natasha, who elegantly jumped over them and knock the guards out completely.

“Awe man, I thought I got them…”

“Only turn your back once they’ve completely stopped looking. Try harder.”

“...”

Walking down the corridor, and also blinding one more guard with pepper spray. The two made there way down to the main lab room. As they got to the door, heavy footsteps could be heard making their way to where they were. Natasha on instinct pulled out a gun and aimed it towards the sound. As they realized it was just Happy, they locked and loaded another gun. Using the staff to break the lock, Natasha quickly entered the room pointing both guns in different directions to get a wider shooting range.

Scanning the room, they both disregarded the two men hanging from the ceiling and moved on. Natasha moved to the computer and began decoding Ivan’s code. To any normal person doing this task, it would take at least an hour or so. However, Nat was managing to quickly revert all previous programming in a matter of seconds.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m rebooting Rhodey’s suit.”

“...Reboot complete. You’ve got your best friend back.”

Also accessing Tony’s suit. Natasha began to read stats and the suits feedback on Tony himself.

“Thank you very much, Agent Romanoff.”

“Well done on the new chest piece. I am reading significant higher output and your vitals all look promising”

Bored of all the programming and tech talk. (Y/n) decided it would be fun to add another person to the call. Not being stopped by Nat, they began putting in another phone number into the computers communicator.

“Yes, for the moment, I’m not dying. Thank you.”

“What do you mean you’re not dying? Did you just say you’re dying?”

“Is that you? No, I’m not. Not anymore.”

“What’s going on?”

“I was going to tell you. I didn’t want to alarm you.”

“You were gonna tell me? You really were dying?”

“You didn’t let me.”

“I thought you were just stalling?”

“(Y/n)? Wait. Why aren’t you with Pepper? Wait. Oh my god you fought bad guys didn’t you?”

“You let a child do what-”

“Hey, hey. Save it for the honeymoon. You got incoming Tony. Looks like the fight’s coming to you.”

“Great. Pepper?”

“Are you okay now?”

“I am fine. Don’t be mad. I will formally apologise…”

“I am mad!”

“…when I’m not fending off a Hammeroid attack.”

“Fine.”

“We could have been in Venice.”

“Oh please.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Watching the fight from the Hammer lab was...Boring, to say the least. Natasha had already started looking at the robotics of the hammeriods to see if they had any more dangerous features. As she went through the code she noticed a strange looking piece, something she had seen before...shit. 

“They’re rigged to explode.”

“What!?”

“That droid we spotted a few seconds ago, they’re set to explode once that one is destroyed. (Y/n)...Sweetheart. I know you don’t like to but Pepper’s still at the expo.”

“....I...I u-understand.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Standing outside the expo, Pepper looked out at the scene around her. Broken bits of metal popped up here and there, personal belongings were scattered around the street. It felt more like an apocalyptic wasteland than a high-class events. The only sound that could be heard was engines of distant cars as they quickly left Queens for a safer location.

Looking down at the tattered robot beside her, she thought about the situation at hand. Natalie, her assistant, was actually a world-class assassin that could take on several well-trained guards at once with little effort. Tony, her ex-boss, was risking his life to save countless others. (Y/n)...she knew nothing about them, yet they meant the world to Tony. Even they were fighting for the greater good…

...All she ever cared for was work. Maybe this was the universe's way of telling her it was time to start another chapter in her life.

As she glanced at the waterside she noticed a bird elegantly gliding across the water. It seemed to soar towards the expo at an extremely quick pace, Pepper thought it was a peregrine falcon until it began...changing?

The feathered wings that allowed it to carelessly dance through the air, began moulting. Leaving a trail of striped feathers, rippling on the water behind it. Then, the bone structure began to change. The once short and stubby body began stretching. Along with the neck, each limb became long and thick. All slightly bigger than the average human. The once dark coloured bird was now a brown with flicks of colour around its face. It was more than clear it wasn’t a small bird anymore. In fact, it looked more like a prehistoric dinosaur than anything else.

Before Pepper even had time to react, the creature curled its sharp back claws around her shoulders and flew away. Despite her struggling, the creature held a firm but careful grip on her. As it reached the other side of the river, crackles and bangs popped up around the city. Along with large, fiery clouds pushing their way up into the night sky.

The creature soon landed on a building, carefully placing Pepper down first before shapeshifting once more.

Turning her head, Pepper didn’t know what to expect. She was already shaking from what just happened, she didn’t know how much more she could take. Turning her body around slowly she nearly collapsed at the sight. (Y/n) panting slightly from the amount of shapeshifting and flying they had done, was right there in the flesh.

“...Oh...oh my god.”

“Miss Pepper?”

“Hang on...Oh my god...Where’s Tony?”

“I...I don’t actually know...Do you want me to call him?”

“I-YES oh my god what even was that?!.”

“A quetzalcoatlus...I’m sorry, I just really like dinosaurs, I’m sorry if I scared you”

“It’s fine honey, just- Get Tony- please.”

(Y/n) quickly turned their back and used their earpiece to call Tony. It didn’t take long for a panic filled voice to respond.

“Where are you? Where’s Pepper?”

“On top of a building on the opposite side of the river, we’re fine!”

“Good, stay right there. I’m coming in hot.”

Within a matter of seconds, the red and gold bullet that was Tony Stark landed on the building. In a matter of seconds (Y/n) and Tony were clinging to one another in relief. Despite them not listening to him and not at all sticking to the plan, they were beyond helpful. Moving out of the hug for a moment, Tony held their face to see if any scratches or bruises were there, he would have felt beyond guilty if they were hurt in any way.

“You alright (Y/n)? You’re not hurt are you?”

“No, I’m fine Papa.”

“Good, and whilst I’m mad at that you for completely ignoring me. I’m so proud of you for saving Pepper and all the other people here. Well done kiddo.”

Letting go of them Tony moved over to Pepper. He couldn’t even begin to express how glad he was to see her. So how did he express this? By hugging the ever-loving life out of Pepper, of course. He held on for as long as humanly possible, clinging to her like his life depended on it. When she began to wriggle he let go, even though he knew he was about to receive a mouthful.

“Oh my god. I can’t take this anymore.”

“You can’t?”

“I can’t take this?”

“Look at me.”

“My body, literally, cannot handle the stress. I never know if you’re gonna kill yourself or wreck the whole company.”

“I think I did okay.”

As he spoke, one last explosion occurred. If the situation wasn’t as tense as it was, (Y/n) would have laughed at the Irony. However, watching the two adults argue on a random rooftop in Queens was really not something they thought life would throw at them. Yet here they were, pretending that they were not also there whilst Tony attempted to charm Pepper back into his life. When the tension calmed, Tony -somewhat unexpectedly- pulled pepper into a kiss. As it deepened, (Y/n) decided that yes, ew, adults are gross, and turned their back to the two.

Just as they were about to call Natasha to be picked up, a silver man slowly landed on the edge of the roof. Opposite to where Pepper and Tony were mashing their faces together. As the silver man removed his helmets front, (Y/n) realized who it was.

“Hey!” They whispered, careful not to heard. “You’re Rhodey, right? The one that kicked Papa’s butt?”

“Ha! Well, you’re right about that, what’s your name pumpkin?”

“(Y/n)...Are they always like this?”

“...No comment. And for the record, I THINK IT WAS WEIRD.”

Turning their heads, they almost flipped at what they saw. Rhodey and (Y/n), sitting comfortably on top of the vent boxes, waiting for the two to finish. Whilst (Y/n) was trying not to laugh, Rhodey began to entertain them by chewing out the two.

“You guys look like two seals fighting over a grape.”

“Pffft-”

Giggling, (Y/n) could hardly contain themself as all three adults tried to seem cool and in control of the conversation. It was clear to Tony that Rhodey was simply entertaining his audience, and enjoyed getting someone to laugh at his one-liners for once.

“Listen, my car got taken out in the explosion, so I’m gonna have to hang on to your suit for a minute, okay?”

“Not okay. Not okay with that.”

“It wasn’t a question.”

With that, Rhodey was gone, and Tony and Pepper began to be all lovey-dovey all over again. Sighing, (Y/n) couldn’t help but smile once more. Their first mission was a complete success! They didn’t have any fatalities on their end and they didn’t use their powers at all-...well, not combat-wise at the very least. They knew how much Pepper meant to Tony, so if meant using their powers to save her then so be it.

Turning their back to them once more, they looked up at the sky above them. The silhouette of the moon was cloaked by the misty sky above, causing a luminous glow to spread out across the night sky. It felt like a perfect end to a horrible night, and as a metallic hand pressed upon their shoulder, they knew it was time to head home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Do I really have to go back?”

“It’s up to him sweetheart. And what? You don’t like being around Uncle Fury and his Badass team of agents?”

“N-no! It’s just...I wanna be a kid y'know? If I want to be a kid at S.H.I.E.L.D. I have to have three people with me at all times...I hate it!”

“Hmph, sounds like Stark will have a handful if he decides to let you stay...You do know that we’ll still ask you to come on missions?”

“Yep! I’ll be the best agent ever! Just you watch Ni- I mean Sir!”

Ruffling their hair, Fury briefly chuckled at their shenanigans before preparing himself for his report. He had Tony sitting in an empty warehouse with two files in front of him. The plan was to see how long it would for him to crack and try to open the files. Once he did, Fury quickly entered the scene and dramatically jump scared the man.

“I don’t think I want you looking at that. I’m not sure it pertains to you anymore. Now this, on the other hand, is Agent Romanoff and (Y/n)’s assessment of you. Read it.”

“uhh...“Personality overview. Mr Stark displays compulsive behaviour.” In my own defence, that was last week. “Prone to self-destructive tendencies.” I was dying. I mean, please. Aren’t we all? “Textbook narcissism”? Agreed. Okay, here it is. “Recruitment assessment for Avenger Initiative. Iron Man? Yes.” I gotta think about it. Kiddo how much of this-”

“You might want to continue…”

“Read on.”

““Tony Stark not… Not recommended”? That doesn’t make any sense. How can you approve me but not approve me? I got a new ticker. I’m trying to do right by Pepper. I’m in a stable-ish relationship. I now have a kid who is amazing thanks to me.”

Standing up and walking to Tony’s side of the desk, Fury stared Tony down as if he were a child resisting time out.

“Which leads us to believe at this juncture we’d only like to use you as a consultant.”

Bewildered by what had just been said to him, Tony stood up and grab Fury’s hand. Firmly shaking his with both of his own. As he thought of a cheeky or snarky comeback, a smile graced his lips as he paused for a dramatic effect.

“You can’t afford me. Come on (Y/n), we’re heading to DC. Oh and, Then again, I will waive my customary retainer in exchange for a small favour. Rhodey and I are being honoured in Washington and we need a presenter.”

“I’ll see what I can do. And (Y/n).”

“Yes?”

“Keep him out of trouble.”

Nodding and giving a small wave goodbye, (Y/n) grabbed Tony’s hand as they exited the warehouse. As they got to one of Tony’s many cars, they let go for a moment to say goodbye to some of their S.H.I.E.L.D. “friends”. Whilst they didn’t wave back, they all gave a small nod to the young agent. They were all going to miss having a kid running around, especially since it meant Fury was going to be tougher on them again.

As they got into the car, “Highway to hell” began to play on the car’s radio, which to the Stark’s meant one thing: Car karaoke. As they speed back to the house to pack for Washington, the two were screaming the lyrics at the top of their lungs. And as the rolling plains were met with the sound of a good tune and a roaring engine, the sense of family finally had a meaning to (Y/n).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“It is my honour to be here today to present these distinguished awards to Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes and Mr Tony Stark, who is, of course, a national treasure. Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel, for such and exceptionally distinguished performance. You deserve this.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Although they couldn’t be on stage, (Y/n) was quite happy standing alongside Pepper as their father received his award. They hadn’t told him yet, but he was about to receive something else today, something he had been waiting for since the day they call him “Papa”. Pepper had already found out and was more than happy to have (Y/n) be a common figure in her own life.

As they clapped for Rhodey, they looked up at Pepper. Worried that Tony wouldn’t be happy with the gift they were going to give him. When she looked back, she gently placed a motherly had on their back. Moving it up and down to calm any nerves (Y/n) had.

“Mr Stark. Thank you for such as exceptionally distinguished performance. You deserve this. Oh, sorry. Funny how annoying a little prick can be, isn’t it? Let’s get a photo.”

All three men then began taking photos. Basking in the media presents they would gain from the award ceremony. Stern seemed to be more focused on not strangling Tony rather than actually looking honour being there. (Y/n) could almost strangle him themself because of how rude he was being.

Once the ceremony was done, Tony and Rhodey made their way over to where Pepper and (Y/n) were. As he got to them, he swiftly took his hands out of his trouser pockets and pulled (Y/n) up into a hug. Lifting them off the ground and twirling around before casually letting them rest on his hip.

“Do you want me to give it to him (Y/n)?”

“Yeah”

“Give me what? Pepper?”

Ignoring him, Pepper went over to the car and picked up a cardboard tube. As she made her way back, she gave a small signal for Rhodey to start recording. Handing over the tube to Tony, he carefully opened it with his unoccupied hand. Pepper, trying to be helpful, took out the piece of paper and began unravelling it. As Tony read the certificate his eyes welled up, he finally had it. The man that had everything and nothing finally had something.

“Certificate of adoption

(Y/n) (Middle name) Stark

Adoption granted to Anthony Edward Stark

Certified by Director Nicholas Joseph Fury”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Also, I will be taking requests for between chapter headcanons/imagines on my tumblr. So, if you would like some short blurbs or headcanons send an ask over to Marvelcatt and I'll do it ASAP!


	6. Tessaracts and spears [Avengers arc start!]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/n) is now officially a Stark; with the name comes a lot of responsibilities. However, when a mysterious man with the intent to conquer comes along. It takes a little more than a metal man and his kid to save the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s back! Sorry for the delay, I promise I’m trying to make updates more predictable/routine. Also!! A good friend of mine recently found this story and really helped motivate me to do more. So as a thank you (and early birthday present) I’ll be posting a crossover fic in the coming weeks! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and let me know if there’s anything more you want in upcoming ones!!

Being a secret agent is hard work. Being a Stark is even harder. Being a Stark with superpowers with a lot of work- Okay, point made, life for (Y/n) is a bit hard. Worth it though? Absolutely! And what better way is there to spend the evening a couple thousand feet in the air after getting an emergency call from THE Nick Fury?

Reading through the briefing provided, (Y/n) quickly learnt the situation at hand. The Tesseract, or “That weird blue space cube that looks like dad’s heart?” as (Y/n) quite nicely describes it, is causing a perimeter-wide evacuation due to its…unexpected activation. According to the file no known cause was recognized by the scientist working with the Tesseract. That meant that whatever was causing the activation was triggered from something away from the reactant. Like a remote or console controller.

Turning off S.H.E.I.L.D. tablet and putting it back into the holster, (Y/n) looked at the two high ranking agents opposite them. Both had a serious, yet worried look on their face as prepared for landing. When (Y/n) looked down also, a similar expression graced their face. Dozens, possibly even hundreds of agents, workmen and scientists alike; scattered the building like bees out of a broken hive.

As the helicopter began to descend, (Y/n) grabbed the rope-like handle hanging above their head. They honestly didn’t need to, but since becoming the legal child of the one and only Tony Stark, well… Safety certainly became more of a significant topic at home. Especially after the (fifth) lab situation. Never again will (Y/n) and Tony use the lab when Pepper has guests over, especially when they’re guests there for company reasons.

When the helicopter door finally slid open, (Y/n) quickly jumped out and stood ready for combat! As dire as the situation was, the adrenaline was already pumping around their body like petrol reaching the engine of a car. However, before they even had the chance to throw a punch, a firm hand made contact with their shoulder. ‘Dammit Coulson, I was in the zone’ they thought as eye contact was made between the pair. Ever since the adoption, the two only really saw one another once in a blue moon; each time that came around though, the most they got to speak about was the mission at hand…(Y/n) missed that about Coulson. They kinda missed the days they watched old war films together.. Though that was unimportant now, the safety of the compound was top priority.

“How bad is it?”

“That’s the problem, sir, we don’t know.”

~~~~~

Reaching the basement lab floor and weaving their way through several intricate corridors, they made their way to the main lab. Several high soldiers passed them as they went down, several even stopping to salute their senior agents. Unfortunately for them, both Maria and Nick paid no mind to them, to focused on the chaos surrounding them. (Y/n) on the other hand, was not a brash, several of the soldiers received a small wave from the pipsqueak Stark. That was until Hill ushered for them to keep their head in the game.

It was about then something began tapping on (Y/n)’s head. It felt as if someone was flicking them to gain their attention, yet no one was any near the flicking point. Scratching it slightly, they attempted to ignore it, but for one reason or another, it continued to flick them.

Coulson had already left to help the evacuation party, and Fury and Hill were only halfway down the large spiral staircase. (Y/n), meanwhile, found it easier to just slide down the railing. …What? They were told to hurry up; so they did exactly that!

Once in the room where the Tesseract was being held, (Y/n) quickly abandoned the two agents to look for anything odd. From what Tony’s taught them, they knew nothing happened without a reason. So by that logic, something or someone must have changed the conditions of the lab for the tesseract to start acting up. Scanning the area, they couldn’t find anything too suspicious or out of the ordinary. Huh, maybe that remote theory was right, maybe it was on off location job. 

Once certain nothing was off, they headed back towards the director, ready to give him their unfortunate findings.

“It’s clear, nothing I can find any way Ni- Director!”

“Hmph, still need to work on that. Anyway- We’ve prepared for this, doctor. Harnessing energy from space.

“We don’t have the harness. My calculations are far from complete. She’s throwing off interference, radiation. Nothing harmful, low levels of Gamma radiation.”

“…”

“…That can be harmful. Where’s agent Barton?”

“The hawk? Up in his nest, as usual.”

Just as the scientist said, the hawk was watching from above. Hawkeye, or Clint, was pretty close to (Y/n). They met a few years back in Budapest, where…well, what happens in Budapest stays in Budapest. It was the same time they met Natasha too, and ever since then, the three grew fairly close. Whilst Clint couldn’t always be there, it didn’t stop him from caring about the kid.

Fury at this point, couldn’t care less about where was who and what was when. He needed his agents ready, now. Calling in on his pocket radio, he wasted no time to get his men where he needed them to be.

“Agent Barton. Report.”

Wasting little to no time, Clint rather elegantly slid down the worn rope to the bird’s nest. In a hurried pace, he briefly nodded to agents and scientist he knew before reporting to the director. Before greeting him though, he sent a warm smile to (Y/n). His little way of saying ‘missed ya kid’ prior to him and Fury walking away together to discuss the occurring problem.

(Y/n) on the other hand, stood completely still… Something. Kept. Flicking. Telling them the situation was off. It was like someone screaming at them to grab something to fight with or run and hide as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, they knew exactly what it was. The problem was due to a…development in their ability, Fury and the other superiors thought it would be best to push the limit of the powers. Despite the protest of (Y/n) and prior knowledge they had of pushing limits. But no- They needed results and they needed them quick. It wasn’t even up for debate! Even if (Y/n) didn’t want to, Tony didn’t exactly know about the whole ‘powers’ thing…Pepper did…Tony didn’t.

It was starting to act up a lot now. As if the danger was right in front of them. Thinking it best to report their gut feelings, (Y/n) followed Clint and Fury. Hoping that they wouldn’t interrupt an important conversation, or points vital to containment.

Before (Y/n) could speak up, the tesseract began to react again. Streaming light and waves of vibration around the lab like it were the inside of a phone. Hesitantly looking towards it, (Y/n) realized that instinct was telling them “Hey, yeah…you might want to run for your life or prepare to slap someone because this is gonna be bad…” …Perhaps (Y/n) should have listened to it, maybe then they would’ve been able to at least get into a decent fighting stance. Or had a decent chance of winning against whatever this thing is.

A beam of light soon shot out of the cube and formed a mysterious swirling void, enclosing the room in a neon blue hue. The room fell silent, not knowing who or what was coming to come out of the void seemed to stir an uncommon emotion among the agents and scientists alike. Fear.

Just as quickly as the room got drowned in the hue, the aura of blue popped like an over-stretched balloon. With it, a burst of what felt like air swept the room, causing papers and stationary to fly off desks and scatter around the room. (Y/n), without any hesitation stood ready for a fight, and with no weapons at hand, it would be a kick or transform showdown.

When the blue light began to fade, a shadowy figure appeared. Kneeling on the ground like they were bowing to royalty, however, the aura of the person seemed to have the exact opposite feel to it. Self-centred and proud, with a mischievous vibe almost radiating from their smile. Security began to approach the person slowly, guns ready to shoot anything that disapproved by their superiors. (Y/n) began to move closer to Fury, in case anything went down, they wanted to protect the director. 

Gaining a better look at the figure, (Y/n) determined the figure to be a man. From their clothing, it could be predicted that he was of a noble or even royal descent. Either way, expensive. When his eyes re-surfaced from the crumbled floor below him, (Y/n)’s blood ran cold. Without even looking around he stared directly at them, like a wolf at a hunk of meat. As security surrounded him and his posture became more proper. Standing at full high, whoever it was appeared to double, if not triple as intimidating as he was before. Not wanting any violence to occur, Fury spoke up, hoping it wouldn’t end in gunfire.

“Sir, please up down the spear!”

Discarding (Y/n) and looking at the spear. The man waited a moment before firing directly at the three in front of him. Clint, being the calmest and most collected of the bunch, pulled down the other two to prevent any injury. When (Y/n) fell to the ground, they attempted to roll away from the other two to spread out the targets. Crawling away they realized option one wasn’t the best course of action. So option two it is.

Waiting to be completely out of the spear wielders view, (Y/n) watched as the squad around them started to be compromised. They couldn’t waste any more time. Begrudgingly moulding their skin into thicker, scaly form. (Y/n) began to narrow and shorten their body until long and thin. Their face, as well as their limbs, were now gone, being replaced with venomous teeth and soulless eyes. Any common person would say they turned into a snake, but that may very well be an understatement. (Y/n) had shapeshifted into a black mamba, one of the deadliest snakes known to mankind.

Slithering their way along, (Y/n) tried not to gain any attention. Seeing as agents left and right were being tossed to the floor like rag dolls, it wasn’t exactly hard. As they became mere meters away from him they began to curl their body, preparing to pounce. Opening their jaw and flashing their completely black mouth they wriggled slightly before pouncing at breakneck speed. Before they even had the chance to capture, or better yet bite the attacker; a hand caught them by the start of their elongated body. Gripping them, Loki made eye contact with the now struggling venom bag. Shit. Not even trained professionals could get this far with the snake. A shit-eating grin curled around his lips as he examined (Y/n). Humans, even when gifted by the gods, still naive as ever.

“How Interesting. You must be a special one if you’ve mastered changing your form. You shall be of use to-”

Before he could finish, Clint attacked him from behind. Sacrificing his own safety long enough (Y/n) for them to escape the iron tight grasp of the attacker. They were about to come out unscathed, unfortunately, Clint wasn’t as lucky. Being held by the wrist, his fate was sealed. No shooting an arrow out of this one.

“You have heart.”

Tapping him with the spear, Clint’s eyes began to change. The same blue hue that engulfed the room moments ago swirled their way into his naturally green eyes. Blurring the lines between freedom and peace.

Without even questioning his actions, he complied, along with every other standing agent in view. Fury, not wanting to deal with the same fate, removed the tesseract from its holder. Despite the intense heat, it gave off, even burning the tips of his fingers, he managed to put it in the briefcase without too much of a problem. However, the problem lies within another source or another person to be precise.

“Please don’t. I still need that”

“This doesn’t have to get any messier.”

Signally a message to (Y/n), Fury stalled man for as long as he possibly could. (Y/n), understanding their task, shifted once more. Creating bones and limbs to change into a gecko. After around ten rushed seconds of shifting time, they began to climb the wall. The plan was simple: Climb up the wall, call in backup, stop Loki and save the day! …Unfortunately, the plan changed, before they could get to even the first lining of the wall.

Fury was shot, in the chest as well. Judging by the bullet placement, it wouldn’t be life-threatening. Though it still was a bullet to the chest, the man is probably cursing like a sailor mentally.

“Fury!”

Changing back into a human, (Y/n) slid down the wall to assist their wounded superior. Before they could even get close to him, Loki had already obtained the briefcase and made a grand exit. Before he left though, he turned and looked at the now human (Y/n). Snickering as they breathlessly panted and twitched.

“Mastered perhaps wasn’t the best term. No matter, when our paths cross again I’ll be sure to train you into a proper royal servant. Until then, shifter.”

With that he left, leaving Fury and (Y/n) alone in the crumbling facility. Now being able to run over to Fury, (Y/n) attempted to help him up. They didn’t have much left in them, but they tried to do what they could with what little energy they had left in them.

He called Agent Hill to warn her about this “Loki”, but judging by what just happened, she wouldn’t be able to do too much. Using the last of their strength, (Y/n) turned into an Asian elephant. Letting the director lean on them for extra support whilst exiting the premises.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Once in the helicopter, (Y/n) watched as the compound they once knew as home crumbled to the ground like a stack of cards. They felt their heart pounding like a drum as the headache began once more. Fury, knowing what this was, placed a hand on their head. He didn’t need this now, in fact, this worse possible time for this. The helicopter just got shot for christ sake!

“(Y/n) Stark I need you to hang in there. We cannot have a code feral right now.”

It was starting to get worse though, but getting out of the helicopter was the top priority. Shifting one last time, back into a human, (Y/n) grabbed onto the handle above their head. Pain coursed through their body whilst doing so; all the stretching and changing of bone structure in such a short time, wore out (Y/n)’s body. Code feral was going to happen a lot faster than usual, and with no safeguards nearby, Fury was in mega trouble.

Pushing themself out the helicopter, they somehow landed on the ground unharmed. Despite the slight pain, they still put the situation first. Attempting to stand, they felt their leg beginning to twitch. Shit. It was already happening. Not allowing any more time delaying, they began to chase after the vehicle carrying the tesseract, praying they could at least land one more blow on this “Loki” person before he got away.

Before they could even begin to run, the weight of their body became too much for their legs. Falling to their knees, they could only watch as the car sped away and darkness took over.

~~~~~~~~~

Blurred beeps sturred (Y/n) from their slumber. From what they could gather, some man stole the Tesseract before destroying the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. compound…Ha! What a nightmare! They were almost certain the second their eyes were open, their papa would be there. Waking them up by blinding them with the morning sun.

…That was far from what they saw though. Peaking at their surroundings, they saw monitors, agents, some of which with tasers, and a medic. All waiting for them to wake up and report for duty.

Forgetting that they had peaked, they shot up from the bed unintentionally. Alerting the agents and causing several to point the tasers at an unarmed (Y/n). Without even letting a second pass, they shot their hands up in defence. As much as they wanted to (sarcasm), today really wasn’t a good day to be tasered ya’know?

“I’M TAME! I’m tame, don’t worry I’m fine!”

Fury, who had now entered the room, demanded all weapons to be removed from the area. With everything happening right now, he didn’t need another top agent unable to work. Dismissing the agents and doctor, Fury plopped himself down in the bedside chair. He couldn’t help but conceal his face as the intensity of everything suck in. The Tesseract was gone, Hawkeye was gone, one of his most powerful agents was lying in a damn medic bed after going feral. Could this day get any worse?

“Sir. Stark’s asking for (Y/n) to come home.”

Godammit.


	7. Home time!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/n) is now officially a Stark; with the name comes a lot of responsibilities. However, when a mysterious man with the intent to conquer comes along. It takes a little more than a metal man and his kid to save the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually kinda proud of this chapter? I've been trying to make the quality of each chapter the same (or better) and make them come out ASAP, which I think I did with this chapter? Either way, after this chapter, the pace is going to pick up a lot. So...yeah! I've tried being nice and added a little fluff at the end, hope you enjoy!

Despite the situation, the medics still kept that warm smile on their faces. They were all understandably stressed and upset, yet somehow they were able to care for every patient with the utmost care. In (Y/n)’s eyes, it was honourable, not many can stay positive in the most negative of times. 

It was rather dull though: getting lights shone in their eyes, getting checked for injuries, doing that pumpy thing with the armband. AKA, a boring checkup. The medic with (Y/n) saw nothing odd, meaning they could finally go home. Although, the medic did say she wanted to wait until a superior agent arrived to escort (Y/n) home. Just in case something unnoticed creeped up out of the blue. 

Waiting didn’t require too long luckily, Coulson just had to make a phone call and collect a briefcase and then he promised to drive (Y/n) to the tower. When he did finally finish everything, he asked for the medic to step outside for a moment for a private conversation. When they came back into the room, the medic gave (Y/n) her classic sweet smile before letting them leave. Coulson, on the other hand, simply moved out of the way. He gave a small ‘thanks’ to the medic before leaving with (Y/n).

Next stop, Stark Towers.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Jeep ride over was silent. Nothing but the hum of the engine and the sound of the road beneath them could be heard. (Y/n) couldn’t help but feel guilty for something, as if they did something unspeakable. Looking over to Coulson, they began to stare at him out of pure curiosity. Seeing as neither of them had spoken since the compound was destroyed, it almost felt wrong to talk casually. 

Seeing their guilty expression, Coulson sighed; never removing his eyes from the road, he finally admitted to the events of last night.

“You went feral, took down ten agents before a squad got to you. All survived...out of work, but breathing.”  
“How bad was it this time?”  
“Your transform time has quickened. Good for when you fight for us, not against though. Adding them all together, you shifted a total of twenty-two times in a span of forty-five minutes. That’s eight more times than last time.”  
“...I’m sorry.”  
“Don’t be. You saved the director and managed to get out alive. That’s more than anyone could have expected.”

(Y/n) couldn’t respond. They knew how hard it was for S.H.I.E.L.D. to deal with them whilst feral, yet they got reckless and turned anyway. Despite the situation, they couldn’t help but bash themself for being so stupid. They couldn’t even hit the guy! How were they supposed to get the Tesseract back if they can’t even control themself?! Turning away from Coulson, (Y/n) began to watch the racing streetlights. It wasn’t long now, the tower was only five minutes away.   
Glancing at (Y/n), Coulson couldn’t help but feel bad for (Y/n). The kid hadn’t done it on purpose if anything they tried their best not to do it. Yet they still felt guilty for something they couldn’t control...they’ll learn in time, he was almost certain it’ll be soon as well. Switching lanes and preparing for the oncoming traffic, Coulson took a deep breath. He almost prayed Tony would be in a good mood, almost. With (Y/n) as a bargaining chip of sorts, it may run smoothly. He just had to wait and see. 

~~~~~~~~~

Just as (Y/n) and Coulson got out of the car, a flash of light zoomed passed and up the newly light tower. Judging by the speed and timing it had to be Tony, he did say he was taking the tower “off the mainframe”, whatever that meant. Forgetting Coulson was around, (Y/n) ran up the steps and into their New York home. It was only a few months ago they actually began living in it, but it was their home nonetheless. Once in the elevator hidden around the back corner of the entrance, a similar AI greeted the two.

“Good evening Agent Coulson. (Y/n). Shall I alert Ms Potts that you have arrived?”

“Could you tell her I need to speak to Stark? This is a level 7 situation.”

“Yes. One moment please.”

…

“I’m afraid Ms Potts is attending to something right now. However, she has requested for (Y/n) to retire for the night.”

“Tell him it’s a life-threatening situation. We need him now.”

“My apologies agent Coulson. However, it appears Mr Stark is on a date tonight.”

“Gross. J.A.R.V.I.S. Ignore Pap’s. Phil can come up with me.”

“I’m not sure your father will agree to those terms.”

“Fine then.”

Ignoring J.A.R.V.I.S.’s suggestion, and Fury’s very clear instructions. (Y/n) went bug mode. Granted, Coulson did try to prevent them from doing so, but if this was the only way to override the system, well then so be it. Watching as their tiny bug body rewired the inside of the elevator control panel, several questions started to enter his mind. Particularly, who the hell taught them out to rewire an elevator? Before he could ask, they broke J.A.R.V.I.S.’s hold on the system and got the elevator to head up to the penthouse floor. 

“Good work (Y/n)- Mr Stark. We need to talk.”

“You have reached the life model decoy of Tony Stark. Please leave a message.”

“This is urgent.”

“Then leave it urgently.” 

Before the door opened, (Y/n) went back to their normal human state. It wasn’t because of anything Fury related, thankfully, but it was more something...family related. (Y/n) hadn’t actually told Tony what they could do, nor did they want to? After the Whiplash incident and the way Pepper reacted, they didn’t want the one person they considered family to freak out because of some freakish ability they had. Nat, Maria and Fury also agreed that it was better to keep it in the shadows for now. Then again, they may have said that to stop Tony finding an excuse to stop (Y/n) going on missions. They had discovered in reason months the extents Tony would go to already, lord forbid they found out what he’s like with the add-on as well. 

“Security breach! That’s on you!”

“Papa!”

Passing Coulson, (Y/n) ran over to Tony to greet him. If they were any quicker, he may have spilt his celebratory champagne; luckily for him, Pepper grabbed it just in time. When two arms latched themself around his neck, he mischievously stood up and leaned the mini human down. The intense amount of giggles caused a light chuckle from both parental figures also. Giving the gig up and letting (Y/n) chill on his back, he retrieved the alcoholic glass and started sipping like nothing had happened.

“Phil, come in!”

“Phil?”

“I can’t stay.”

Following Pepper (with (Y/n) still on his back, Tony was trying to comprehend what was going on in front of him. Since when did Coulson have a first name? (Y/n) didn’t even call him Phil, right?

“Uh, his first name is Agent, kiddo back me up on this.”

“Pap’s his name is Phil.”

“Don’t buy it, Pepper?”

“Come on in, we’re celebrating!”

Flashing a smile, even (Y/n) knew Tony was faking it. Unlatching themself from his back, (Y/n) snatched his glass away from him, knowing what Coulson wanted to do. Looking at the glass, they became kinda curious as to why adults drank it. The smell was weird and the taste was weirder...not that they knew how it tasted or anything. It was an amusing sight, despite the obvious handing over of the laptop, Tony still didn’t like being handed stuff. 

“We need you to look over this. As soon as possible.”

“ehe-I don’t like being handed things.”

“That’s fine because I love to be being handed things. Let’s trade.”

Swapping between the glasses, and the laptop, everyone but (Y/n) was now holding something, which was fine! Just meant they had more things to do! Now holding the laptop, Tony stare was shared between the agent and the piece of tech. Honestly, he just sat down and now this?

“Official consulting hours are between eight and five every other Thursday.”

“This isn’t a consultation.”

“Is this about the Avengers?”

“Pepper!”

“Which I know nothing about.”

At this point, (Y/n) was clinging onto Pepper’s shirt out of disappointment. She promised not to tell anyone, and now everyone in the room knew! She almost let out a slight giggle at their shenanigans, poor kid has only been back for less than an hour and already they’re tired and whining. Sounds like someone she used to work for, someone that was raising the kid as their own. Despite their complaining, Pepper wrapped an arm around their shoulder. In reason months, this became the code for ‘We have guests. Behave.’ which (Y/n) followed instantly.

“The Avengers Initiative was scrapped, I thought, and I didn’t qualify.”

“(Y/n) qualified...but I didn’t know that either.”

“Pepper…”

Nudging Pepper slightly (Y/n) turned their back to Tony avoid his gaze. From what they presumed, he was shocked, but also sad. They didn’t want to know though, it was not something they wanted to see. 

“Yeah, apparently, I’m volatile, self-obsessed, don’t play well with others.”

“That I did know.”

“This isn’t about personality profiles anymore.”

“Whatever! Family hussle, bring it in.”

“Half a moment.”

Walking over to Tony, (Y/n) peaked at the screen he was observing. Several names and faces ran along the screen before quickly being pushed aside for another. It felt like Tony was scanning over things rather than reading. Which in a way was fine, but when (Y/n) figured out why they nearly rolled their eyes at their father’s pettiness. 

“You know, I thought we were having a moment.”

“I was having twelve percent of a moment.”

“Dad. This is really bad…”

To state the facts: Tony hates being called ‘dad’ 99.99% of the time. Papa, he adores, thinks it really suits him. Paps? Hell yeah! Cute and shows he’s the ‘cool parent’. Pop? Meh, makes him feel old but he can deal with it. The others he tolerates, but ‘dad’? (Y/n) and him had a pact that they’d only ever call him that in serious situations.

Looking between Coulson and (Y/n), Pepper picked up the full extent of the tension in the room. Although (Y/n) was putting on a brave face, she knew they were freaking out. Besides, why would Coulson come up with them anyway? He’s a busy man. The only reason he would stay this long is if something was up. Moving closer to Tony, she harshly began whispering to him.

“Come on Tony, (Y/n)’s shaken. Phil’s even worse.”

“How would you know this? And why is he Phil?”

“What is all this?”

“This is, ah-”

Before Tony could finish, (Y/n) had already pressed several buttons and got all the information on projection mode. Each article showed a different applicant for the Avengers, including (Y/n). In the attempts to cover themself, (Y/n) closed their article before Tony could see it. Which he didn’t, luckily enough. What he did see though, was three men. Two of which, he recognised, the other one was...unfamiliar. 

“...I’m going to take the jet to DC tonight.”

“Tomorrow.” 

“You have homework. You have a lot of homework.”

“Well, what if I didn’t?”

“If you didn’t? You mean when you’ve finished?” Well, then..um… (Y/n) sweetheart cover your ears.”

Putting his hands over (Y/n)’s ears, Tony listened to the whispers of what Pepper was offering. Despite the fact that (Y/n) couldn’t hear what was being said, the look on their father’s face said more than they could understand, for better or for worse. Trying not to look up and see what the two were whispering about, (Y/n) looked at Coulson. Unfortunately for them though, he was looking away from the two also. 

When the hands were removed from (Y/n)’s ear, they presumed it was alright to look up. They were wrong, very wrong. Instead of covering (Y/n)’s ears, Tony was kissing Pepper in front of (Y/n) and Phil. To which, (Y/n) had something to say:

“Gross!”

Pulling apart, Pepper couldn’t help but laugh at (Y/n)’s reaction. Scooping them up for a hug, she rubbed her cheek against theirs to get a giggle before she left. Putting them down she hugged Tony one last time before heading to the lift. 

“Work hard.”

“Bye Pepper!”

“Bye, sweetie! ...So, any chance you’re driving by LaGuardia?”

As Coulson and Pepper left, Tony began to look into more files. Flashes of blues, oranges and green illuminated the warm room as documents were opened and shut. One, however, stood out to Tony. Pulling it out and holding the hologram in his hand something...clicked. Whether it be motivation or curiosity, it caught his attention.

Going through every last detail S.H.I.E.L.D. decided to give him, he learnt everything he could about the glowing blue cube. Even at times asking (Y/n) how much they knew, which wasn’t enough to satisfy Tony. In fact, it had peaked his interest so much, that he may have...hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D…. Knowledge is power and power’s the key to success, at least that was he kept muttering as he got more information out of classified files. 

It wasn’t until he got everything he could out of S.H.I.E.L.D. that he decided to call it a night. Or morning? Depends how one view 4 am, either way, was he done and ready for a nap.

“(Y/n)? Kiddo? It’s way past your bedtime. We’re heading to Berlin tomorrow so I’m- ...ah.”  
Looking at the sofa, Tony was in complete awe. Despite their obvious efforts to stay awake, (Y/n) was down for the count on the sofa. Seemed like staying up to help him wasn’t the best plan after all. 

Grabbing a throw from one of the other sofas in the room, Tony gently covered (Y/n) so they didn’t get too cold whilst asleep. They already found a pillow to rest on, so he found no point in moving them to their bed. Especially since they’ll have an early-ish start the next morning.

Trying not to wake them up, Tony sat on the sofa next to them. He really didn’t see the point of going to his own bed either, to the sofa was fine. Picking off a corner of the makeshift blanket to cover his legs, Tony finished his drink before leaned back into his bed for the night. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and knowing that (Y/n) was going to be somewhere in the mix upset him. All he wanted was them to live a normal life, but he knew they couldn’t.

Looking over to them, a small smile graced his face. He loved that kid, more than anything else in this messed up world. No matter what happened tomorrow, he was going to protect them with everything he had. After all, that’s what any good father would do, right?

“Sweet dreams kiddo, sweet dreams.”


	8. Helicarriers and...dad?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/n) is now officially a Stark; with the name comes a lot of responsibilities. However, when a mysterious man with the intent to conquer comes along. It takes a little more than a metal man and his kid to save the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry it took so long, I’ve been busy as hell and haven’t had the time to write. Plus my laptop broke which doesn’t help at all. Oh well, I hope you enjoy!!

Fatherhood, Tony loved it. Whether it be going to the park together and feeding the ducks, or destroying the kitchen with what was supposed to be pancake batter. It filled a part of his heart he thought was forever empty… Well, as much as one can without an actual heart, but point made. The reason for this point is simple though, nothing is perfect. For the Stark’s, most presume it would be time-related or money related. That was not the case though, every day, depending on the time, Tony’s beauty sleep was interrupted in the cruellest way possible. 

Today, or later on, it was also the case. Waking up at about 9am, (Y/n) ran around the house preparing for the day ahead. Tony, meanwhile, was still on the train to hushabye mountain and was murmuring something about improving his suit with blasters. Which, from previous incidents, meant he was in deep sleep. 

Looking at the time and realizing they had to leave soon, (Y/n) decided it was time. Shapeshifting into a spider and climbing up the wall, (Y/n) positioned themself just above their sleeping father and aimed for his stomach. Taking a small breath before shifting back, they landed… Right next to Tony. Poking his cheek, they watched as his face twitched just before his eyes opened. 

“...mn...Five more hours.”

“Papa, it’s breakfast time-”

“Breakfast? I suppose we could take a fast break.”

“Papa…”

Feeling as if he had done his fatherly duties of the day, Tony got up. Chucking the blanket back on the sofa (Somewhat neatly, he has standards) he made his way to the kitchen to make breakfast. Nothing too fancy, just some toast and bagels with coffee and hot chocolate for (Y/n). Whilst they were eating, a call came in. Telling J.A.R.V.I.S. to answer, Tony half-heartedly listened in to the details of the caller; who just so happened to be the Black Widow herself.

“Stark. Where’s (Y/n)? I need you both listening.”

“Right here, What’s happening...Nat?”

“...Nat. We need you two in Berlin. Loki’s been located.”

“Why does (Y/n) need to go? Are you seriously considering letting a kid fight something like this?”

Pausing for a moment, Natasha stopped to think about what to say next. They needed (Y/n), even if they didn’t want to they were an asset too valuable to not use. Tony, of course, didn’t know that though, and (Y/n) wanted to tell him themself...Shit. Giving (Y/n) the look, she watched as they nodded slightly before continuing. 

“...I...You’re right. It’s a stupid idea. We’ll send an agent around to look after them whilst you’re with us-”

 

“No need, Rhodey’s their emergency carer, I’ll give him a call and fly over.”

“Copy that.”

Ending the call, Tony started ordering J.A.R.V.I.S. around to get the info and (Y/n) sorted out before he headed to Germany for what he could only presume to be a massive and dangerous fight. Good thing he managed to get Natasha to think like an adult and not let a kid, let alone HIS CHILD to fight...Or so he thought. 

Running to their room, (Y/n) had already told J.A.R.V.I.S. to disable the phone and put Tony on call with the audio tapes S.H.I.E.L.D. had made for an occasion such as this. Once in their room, (Y/n) replaced their casual clothes with the suit their father had given them for their birthday along with a mask/helmet to hide their face (up to you which one!). Fury had it made for them so that if their work was to caught on camera, it wouldn’t be likely anyone could identify them.

Just as they were putting on the last bits of their outfit, a small knock came from the outside of their room. Panicking slightly, (Y/n) hid their suited-up self under a hoodie. Opening the door slightly, they saw their dad fully-suited and ready to fly. Peeking their head through the door, they did what (Y/n) and Tony always did. Yell through the creak of the door and pray Pepper didn’t hear.

“Hm?”

“That’s my queue. Rhodey’s coming over to look after you, don’t do anything Pepper wouldn’t let you do. Take-out numbers are on the fridge and whatever you do, do not go onto the balcony. The safety barrier isn't high enough and I don’t want you tripping, or running, or… doing kid stuff… a'ight. Love you kiddo.”

“Okay, Love you too!”

Shutting the door, (Y/n) listened to the heavy footsteps making their way over to the takeoff deck. Once the sound of blasters being charged up and shooting away came and went, they opened the door and made their way to the entrance. Carefully avoiding the security cameras and J.A.R.V.I.S. just in case Tony decided to do a bit of snooping. As soon as they were out the building, (Y/n) made their way over to the black van on the other side of the busy street. 

Once in the car, they waited for about fifteen minutes before they found themself at a smaller version of a military jet, from there, they waited a short few hours (aka nap time) before they landed on what appeared to be nothing. However, under closer analyses, they found to be the helicarrier. Great! Now the fun begins.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“(Y/n). I’d like you to meet Dr Bruce Banner. He’s what people have dubbed ‘The Hulk’.”

Looking over to the man next to Fury, (Y/n) could have sworn they had seen this man somewhere before. Not in person, but perhaps in an article or on TV. That was beside the point, reaching their arm out, they examined his behaviour as he shook it. He was… Shaking, a lot. Almost as if he was scared. His grip was similar, timid, but enough to make a strong statement. That was when it hit (Y/n).

“OH! The really smart radioactive scientist that dad likes!”

“Wait a second. You’re um...Mr Stark’s child. I-I’m uh...It’s nice to me you…(Y/n)?”

“Yep- I, um… Yes, Dr Banner. It’s nice to meet you too.”

Confused by their response, Bruce looked over to Fury. Giving (Y/n) a brief glance he leaned over to Bruce and whispered something in his ear along the lines of ‘Pepper taught them.’

After a brief ‘get-to-know-your-new-team-member’, Fury escorted the two to the hovercraft’s lab. Where Bruce had already made himself quite comfortable. Although the two were now familiar with one another, the silence held within the lab was still awkward. Wanting it to end, Bruce began to tinker with machinery around the lab, hoping it would gain (Y/n)’s attention. Which, luckily enough for him, it did. Unluckily for him however, (Y/n) already knew exactly what it was. 

“That’s the machine that holds the Tesseract...Is it still damaged?”

Looking over to (Y/n), Bruce couldn’t muster a response worthy of allowing into the world. Instead, whilst rubbing his hands together he began looking for something to talk about, something to demonstrate his intelligence with. Realizing who he was sharing the lab with, a subject seemed to present itself, one that Bruce unfortunately knew all too well. 

“You’re a-um… A shifter, right? Is that the correct term? From what the people here have given me you’re quite a good one, aren’t you?...Do you-um do you mind, explain it to me? The biology and origins if you can...pl-please.”

In response, (Y/n) could only stare blankly at the doctor. They...never knew about that part, they never even thought about it as a matter of fact. S.H.I.E.L.D. had always been the one to gather that type of information, but sharing it was a completely different story. As (Y/n) began to muster a response, the lab door opened to reveal a rather chirpy director.

“Loki has been caught and is heading here now. (Y/n), I need you to come with me to allow Dr. Banner to work. I hope they haven’t been too much hassle for you.”

“Not at all actually, (Y/n)’s pretty easy to talk compared to others...I’ll-em I’ll get back to work now. See you in a while (Y/n).”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Being told to wait until called over, (Y/n) watched as the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents loaded the god into the holding cell. The team, along with Bruce, that caught him had been told to wait in the meeting room. (Y/n) on the other hand, was told to go Fury to talk to Loki upfront. He thought it would rub salt to injury if he saw that the kid that denied his offer and escape with the director confronted the caged man. 

When the container was sealed and the agents left. Fury and (Y/n) were given the go-ahead. Peaking at (Y/n), Fury wanted to see if they were feeling any strong emotions towards the confrontation. From what he could gather, they were confident, much to his surprise. Putting a gentle hand on their shoulder, he signalled to them it was time. With the gentle nod, they entered the room. Knowing that their father wasn’t watching the interrogation, they moved freely around the room. As Fury began his little “who’s the ant now, huh?’ monologue, (Y/n) watched each movement of Loki, seeing if he had any soft spots or unusual reactions. 

Something felt off about his reaction though, as if Loki was still above Fury. With each comment from Fury, Loki gave a snide or sassy remark in return. Almost as if he was trying to get the last word every time. Wanting to see if Loki would react to them the same, (Y/n) decided to speak up and question Loki’s abilities. Seeing as it’s the Tesseract that gives him his divine powers along with his staff, what could he be without such items? 

“But if the Tesseract and spear give you power, what can you do without them? It kinda seems like without your weapons your powerless.”

Immediately turning his attention to (Y/n), Loki’s smile seemed to grow ten times wider than it already was. Walking closer to them, an aura of power seemed to radiate from him. Turning his head over so slightly and kneeling down to their level, Loki did what Loki does best.

“You’re rather young to be as bold as you are. Then again, us shifters are never ones to be subtle. So tell me (Y/n), what are you without your abilities?”

“Us? What do you mean us?”

Chuckling to himself, he looked over to the camera once more, as if he were staring directly at the other Avengers. When he made eye-contact again, he simply allowed his fingertips to change hue. Showing (Y/n) exactly what he meant by ‘us’.

A shiver ran up (Y/n)’s spine as he did so, no way in hell- no way were they-... Turning to Fury, they couldn’t help but shake as he returned a sorrowful gaze. Gesturing with his hand for them to leave, (Y/n) ran to where the Avengers were. 

When they passed Maria, they saw her sympathetic face as they made their way over to the group. If it had been any other situation, they would have stopped and talked to Maria about how they were feeling. Yet, with the situation at hand, they thought it would be better to consult Natasha. Seeing as they teammates now, it was probably best to talk to their team rather then their boss.

Once up the stairs, (Y/n) was almost immediately in Natasha’s arms. She knew it was a taboo topic, and she knew this sort of information would upset (Y/n). So, as a friend, ally and teammate, she supported them, as they would support her.

“I’m guessing this is the other Stark?”

“There are two? Why is this one not armoured as the matured one is?”

Looking over to the rather posh, yet voice addressing their presences. Although they knew who Captain America was, they weren’t entirely sure as to who this other blonde man was. Going up to him, they realized how large and muscular he was. It was as if he were a god or something, a god with really pretty hair. 

Poking a finger at his muscle, they were nearly shocked at how solid his arm was. Along with his arm, (Y/n) began to inspect him to see if he had any noticeable features to identify him. Deciding that his hair was the feature, (Y/n) went back over to Natasha and whispered in her ear. When she began to chuckle, Thor gave her a confused look.

“They said you had pretty hair. This is (y/n). Thor, (Y/n). (Y/n), Thor.”

“As in Loki’s brother?”

“Exactly, which brings us back to the topic: He killed eighty people in two days.”

“...He’s adopted.”

(Y/n) could practically feel several sets of eyes quickly glancing over to them. They couldn’t deny that their was some connection between the two, but no way in hell they were one in the same. For one, (Y/n) didn’t want to take over Earth. Seeing their panic, Bruce decided to change the topic. He may have only known them for a little less than a day, but somehow they had already created a soft spot in him.

“...Iridium, what did they need the iridium for?”

“It’s a stabilizing agent.”

Peeking over Nat’s shoulder, (Y/n) could see the exact person they didn’t want to see. Tony. He seemed to be caught up in a conversation with Coulson about stabilizing the Tesseract once more. Making a point of promoting his intelligence and making it clear that the original model didn’t fit the bill for such a powerful object. 

“I'll fly you there. Keep the love alive. Means the portal won't collapse on itself, like it did at SHIELD.”

Making his way over to Thor, he seemed to avoid all eye contact with the other Avengers. Whether it be to boost his ego or demonstrate his superiority, (Y/n) took it as a chance to quickly make the slip whilst he was not looking. Especially now as he’s making fun of a literal god that could crush his head like a pencil. 

“ No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing. Also, it means the portal can open as wide, and stay open as long, as Loki wants...Uh, raise the mid-mast, ship the top sails. That man is playing GALAGA! Thought we wouldn't notice. But we did.”

Now at Fury’s desk, he began to fiddle around with the controls as many agents watched in dread. The GALAGA! Agent had already hung his head in shame as most of his coworkers looked over to him, whilst Tony began to imitate Fury. Trying to figure out how he kept an eye on all these screens. Looking over to Maria, he began sarcastically questioning Fury’s abilities.

 

“How does Fury do this- (Y/n)?”

Just as (Y/n) was turning the corner to hide from their father he spotted them. Slowly turning around to walk back to the meeting table, (Y/n) hung their head in shame. Shuffling over to where Thor was, they raised their hand to gently wave to their dad.

“Hi Papa…” They said, really hoping they weren’t going to be in for it, “Welcome to the Helicarrier?”

Seeing both the confusion and anger on his face, (Y/n) hid behind Thor. Although he’s wasn’t quite sure as to why Tony was angry, he did place a firm, but gentle hand on (Y/n)’s shoulder. He couldn’t determine why, but something just told him they’re worth protecting. Steve, who had literally no idea what was going on, sat and observed the scene before him. Whilst Bruce and Nat both waited for Tony to lose his cool. 

Turning around fully, Tony stood firmly and crossed his arms. Looking (Y/n) directly in the eye, he waited for everyone to have their attention on them before slipping a button hack on Fury’s screen. Then, in an oh-so-fatherly manner, he walked toward them. Lowering his head as he got closer; and as they peaked out from behind Thor, a murmured voice asked the question:

“Am I in trouble?”


End file.
